The Big Picture

Matthew Vaughn discusses plans for a Kick-Ass reboot, emphasizing that it will be a meta universe and a whole new way of doing Kick-Ass.
Vaughn confirms that Kingsman 3 will conclude the relationship between Eggsy and Harry, and mentions the possibility of creating a new wave that includes nods and winks to his various projects under Marv Studios.
Vaughn shares updates on his upcoming musical project, stating that musicals are challenging to make and that getting the music right is crucial. He also reveals that School Fight is part of a trilogy connected to Vram and Kick-Ass.

[Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Argylle]Matthew Vaughn is a busy man. With his star-studded Argylle now in theaters, Collider’s Steve Weintraub got to talk with the filmmaker about all things spoilers and behind-the-scenes for this espionage romp, as well as dig into more of Vaughn’s upcoming projects. He’s had all his burners in use for a while, and things are finally starting to shift.

Starring Bryce Dallas Howard and Henry Cavill at the top of a stacked call sheet, Argylle is Vaughn’s pandemic product, a Romancing the Stone-inspired escapist adventure with twists and turns and tons of talent. In this interview, which you can check out below, the director goes into plans for a sequel and how to expand on the universe, how he managed to get the last-ever Beatles song into the film, the ending explanation, and all the things that changed along the way to make the movie what it is. Argylle also features Samuel L. Jackson, Bryan Cranston, Sam Rockwell, Dua Lipa, Catherine O’Hara, Ariana DeBose, and John Cena.

Their conversation also dives into Vaughn’s production company, Marv Studios, and what the future plans are for the studio. He talks about projects like the Kick-Ass reboot, his intentions for Kingsman 3, the R-rated musical he’s hoping to begin shooting this year, and even more he has up his sleeve. Vaughn also shares his experiences working with Jackie Chan prodigy, stuntman and stunt coordinator, Brad Allan, who he says was “the master of all masters when it comes to action and to comedy and humor and bravery.”

Argylle An introverted spy novelist is drawn into the activities of a sinister underground syndicate.Release Date February 2, 2024 Director Matthew Vaughn Runtime 135 minutes Writers Jason Fuchs

Read Our ‘Argylle’ Review

The ‘Kick-Ass’ Reboot Has a Lot to Say in a Post-‘The Boys’ World

Image via Plan B Entertainment

COLLIDER: Normally I ask about other stuff at the end, but I’m just starting with other stuff at the beginning to get that through. We’ve talked in the past. What is the status of Kick-Ass?

MATTHEW VAUGHN: We are in the middle of writing it. We’re doing a movie at the moment, which is a clue to it. There you go. [Holds up a jacket that says Vram] This is gonna be the new thing, so you can figure out what that is. That’s all I can say. But this bunch of people are gonna be making the reboot of Kick-Ass. We’re halfway through shooting their first film. It’s very exciting.

You mentioned to me that you have a script for it. Do you still have a script for Kick-Ass? Are you still writing it?

VAUGHN: No. We’re halfway through. Dare I say — and it’s going to be a cliché coming out of this head of mine — it is a very, very meta universe. Kick-Ass was reinventing and creating an R-rated superhero, and no one was really doing it. This is taking that whole concept to a worthy…not even a sequel, because it’s just a whole new way of doing Kick-Ass, which couldn’t be more Kick-Ass.

You made that well before The Boys, well before other people have played in the R-rated space. I’m assuming that you’re looking at the things that have come out with and said, “How do we tweak this, or one up this?”

VAUGHN: Yeah, how do we do a commentary on pre-Kick-Ass, post-Kick-Ass. And post-Kick-Ass has a lot to do commentary on.

‘Kingsman’ 3 Will Conclude Eggsy and Harry’s Relationship

Image via 20th Century Fox

What is the status of the Kingsman franchise, and Kingsman 3? What’s going on?

VAUGHN: Kingsman 3, we’ve got to get on with before Colin [Firth] is way too old, and dare I say it, Taron [Egerton]’s getting on, as well. So Kingsman 3 is definitely the conclusion of their relationship. Act One is being written. Act Three is being written. Act Two needs some work. We know how it ends, we know how it begins.

Ironically, there has been this business side of Marv where it’s a rare moment where we’ve got Kingsman back, we’ve got Kick-Ass back, we’ve now got Argylle. We have one other thing that we’re working on, shooting at the moment, and I want to try and keep them all under the same roof. So there could be a lot of nods and winks, and create this new wave. We say the next Marv 3, probably. I call it 3.0 now. And so it will happen sooner than later, but it’s gotta be done right, and I just have to know who my long-term partner is to make it, because there are a lot of things I want to do. When the directors and the team that we put on to Kick-Ass, that I’m making this movie with at the moment, it’s untitled, this team, they just reminded me of me 20 years ago, where they’re brave and they’re doing a fantastic [job]. This film we’re making, it’s gonna have the same impact Kick-Ass did.

Related Matthew Vaughn’s ‘Kingsman’ Almost Cast Daniel Kaluuya in the Lead Role The role would eventually go to Taron Egerton.

So at this moment, you’re saying to me that the Kingsman franchise, and Argylle, these are all owned by Marv, meaning if you decide to make Kingsman 3, it will go to whoever works out the deal with you, correct? So literally, Netflix, or Apple, or anyone can get it?

VAUGHN: Anyone who is interested, yes.

Matthew Vaughn Is Looking to Shoot ‘It’s A Musical’ This Year

Whatever happened with the movie musical that you told me about like two, three years ago?

VAUGHN: We’re prepping.

Is it shooting this year?

VAUGHN: Well, I found out that musicals are very hard to do. It’s a lot more prep, and this has got puppets in it, as well. It’s very different. It’s not what anyone’s going to be imagining. And you’ve got to get the music right, and the choreography right, the design. It’s something much bigger. Musicals are really, really hard to do. I’m finding it out, right? There’s a chance I get behind the camera with it this year, but we haven’t got the music right yet, and a musical is really only as good as the music. We have the story, we have the characters, we have the script, but we’ve gotta get the music right. That takes time, so once we’ve got the music right, we’re ready to go.

One of the things about musicals is that there is no adjusting on set. All of that has to be ironed out.

VAUGHN: Exactly. I can’t be cavalier, saying “We’re going, guys. We’re going to figure it out.” I have to be even more disciplined. And I haven’t done a musical before.

Has it got a title?

VAUGHN: At the moment, it’s really egotistical, but on the board it says “It’s a musical” but [spelled] “m-v-sical.” That’s what we’re saying at the moment. It hasn’t got a title yet.

Is it more PG-13?

VAUGHN: Nah, it’s a hard R.

As a musical?

VAUGHN: As a musical.

Have you seen Dicks: The Musical?

VAUGHN: I haven’t had a chance yet, but I have it on my platform to watch.

Related ‘Dicks: The Musical’ Was Pitched to A24 as the “Hereditary of Comedies” Larry Charles, Josh Sharp, Aaron Jackson & Bowen Yang discuss their collaboration on this award-winning eccentric musical & why the Sewer Boys matter.

What happened with School Fight?

VAUGHN: We’ve got that in the can. So School Fight was the proof of concept of me backing my second unit team, and they’re now working under the banner of Vram. I will show you some stuff. I think I’ve got some on my phone, and I’ll just watch your jaw hit the fucking ground.

So with School Fight, the movie’s done?

Vaughn: School Fight’s done.

And is it possible that it’s coming out anytime soon?

VAUGHN: No, not soon because it’s going to be part of a trilogy. The trilogy will be School Fight, this movie, let’s call it Vram for the time being, and then Kick-Ass. They’re all connected.

That’s so interesting. Are you planning on having all three done before the first one comes out?

VAUGHN: No. So when [Vram] is finished, I think this will launch — I’ll be conservative on this — if we’re lucky, Toronto, if we’re not lucky Sundance. This year, next year. If you know what I mean.

And they all take place in the same universe?

VAUGHN: Yes.

Got it. I have so many other things. What happened to the R-rated quiz show pilot?

VAUGHN: We shot it, and we’re still trying to find someone brave enough to do it. It’s not my world, but I showed it to someone very powerful in the TV business who looked at me and went, “Why has no one made this?” And I was like, “Because it’s an R-rated game show, and it’s different.” And I’m hoping he’s going off to try and set it up. I’m excited about that. I didn’t know you knew about that.

You told me.

VAUGHN: I told you. As I said, we’re looking for that partner because Marv really is six people. That’s it. So there’s only so much we can do. The success of Marv is becoming the downfall of Marv, because we have too much IP and too many things to make. We haven’t got enough people to do it. I’ve had a really sad time. I lost Brad Allan and then one of my producers, Kevin Turin, died as well. He was only 43 or 44, and he was gonna be running the Vram side. I do need a partner, and we’re talking to various criminals in Hollywood right now and trying to figure it out because we’re in an unusual [position] now. We have all this stuff. It’s ready to go, but I can’t do it on my own anymore. I’ve outgrown what it is, and I have to learn.

Somebody said to me, and they’re right, “Delegating creativity is not easy.” So, I gotta start hiring and teaming up with the right people so the sequels can be made. I like making the firsts, and that’s the new business plan. I keep making the first of something, and then we hand it over to the system to make the second, and I oversee the second. I wanna break some new young director. That’s what this is. I’m breaking new, young talent, but we’re doing it properly. We did a small film, now we’re doing a medium film, and then we’re gonna do a massive film so that they have a chance. I think a lot of directors, Hollywood picks them up after they’ve done one really good little indie, and then just throws them into this big film. It’s a different muscle group that they haven’t developed. Look at Spielberg, Donner. They started in TV. They really built up to being masters, and I just think some young kids need that. I wanna be a mentor to the young directors.

Related Steven Spielberg Is at His Most Primal in Made-for-TV Movie ‘Duel’ Young Steven Spielberg gets behind the wheel in this nail-biting action-thriller.

One of the things I’ve talked about with other people when they bring you up is that there’s so much that you could do, and that’s why my next question is: 2024. What are you actually thinking you’re gonna film this year?

VAUGHN: There’s a pilot for a book called Lexicon, which we’ve written now. I think I’ll do my first TV show. I’ll be prepping the musical all year, and there’s a few movies. [Argylle] was meant to be my small lockdown movie, by the way. So I’m trying to say to myself, “I’d love to shoot a movie this year while prepping the musical,” because to get behind the camera, these poor buggers on [Vram], I was behind them, frothing, going, “Oh, why don’t you do this? And let’s do that.” And I’m sure I was like, “Do you want me to direct second unit?” It got to that point. “I’ll go off and direct. Do you need a close-up of a teabag getting into a teapot? I’m your man.” I was just desperate to direct again. So I hope to shoot the pilot of Lexicon, prepping the musical, and there’s a few other things I’m thinking about as the smaller movie, which I could shoot properly while prepping another film.

And hopefully Kingsman somehow is being done.

VAUGHN: That’ll be the next year, because Taron’s bloody busy. He’s doing another movie, the guy that did Blackbird, they’re doing another big TV show. So I have to wait for his availability as well.

Jumping into why I get to talk to you. Who wrote the book?

VAUGHN: Who wrote which book?

Argylle.

VAUGHN: Oh, Argylle. Elly Conway.

Really?

VAUGHN: Yes.

For sure?

VAUGHN: Well, it didn’t just appear.

Image via Universal

OK, I’ll leave that there. How many books are planned?

VAUGHN: Five.

If you were to make a sequel to Argylle, do you know what the sequel is right now?

VAUGHN: Yes.

Does it have a script, or is it like the idea is there?

VAUGHN: Script.

Was the ending of Argylle always the ending that you were working towards, or did it shift at all during the making?

VAUGHN: Always the ending. This isn’t the movie you change on the day. The only thing that came up out of nowhere just before filming was the whirlybird. That didn’t exist anywhere, and then that came out of some twisted mind.

‘Argylle’ Ending Explained

Image via Apple TV+

I want to specifically talk about the ending. You reveal Henry [Cavill] with that interesting haircut. Do you know what that is, in terms of the sequel, or is that something you just throw in, and you’ll figure it out later?

VAUGHN: 100% know what that is. That character, that is true Argylle.

Is that Aubrey Argylle? Is he the version we see in the bar in the post-credits scene?

VAUGHN: The younger version, yeah. Aubrey Argylle, if you read the book, is what you see in the post-credits sequence, which is the younger Argylle. That’s Argylle before he became a spy.

This gets confusing. Is that kid you see as young Argylle the younger version of Henry that we see at the end of the movie?

VAUGHN: One of them. Yes.

It says “Argylle Book 1 The Movie, coming soon.” What does that mean?

VAUGHN: Argylle Book One The Movie, coming soon. It means what it says on the tin. If people like the movie, read book one, which is now published. We’re making that with Louis Partridge.

You can see how it gets confusing.

VAUGHN: Confusing, but rather obvious when you see it. And Argylle 2 will be our characters that you hopefully liked in Argylle 1, and with Henry with a mullet.

But it’s so hard to talk about this until people see the movie.

Related Does ‘Argylle’ Have a Post-Credits Scene? Is it worth sticking around at the theater after this spy flick?

Are Argylle and the Kingsman in the same universe?

VAUGHN: Well, I’m hoping with Marv, we’ve got Kingsman on the left, we have Argylle on the right, and I do think there’s a space in the middle where I haven’t played with yet. But both could help me get into the middle ground.

Because the bar in the post-credits scene is called The Kingsman. So, for something like that, do you need anyone’s permission to put the Kingsman there, or because Marv owns it, you can do whatever you want?

VAUGHN: I asked myself, and I said yes.

I didn’t realize that you owned the rights, and obviously that means you can do whatever the hell you want.

VAUGHN: For good and for bad.

Are There Easter Eggs in ‘Argylle’?

Are there any Easter eggs in Argylle that fans should look out for?

VAUGHN: I don’t know, actually. Sometimes I find Easter eggs which I didn’t even know existed, but not many. Not really. I think there are enough twists and turns that God help the audience if I say, “Now you’ve got to find the Easter eggs.” Their heads will explode. It’ll be a Scanners moment.

What I’m curious about is, you finish the movie, this film has a tremendous amount of twists and turns, and you’re keeping the audience guessing. When you started showing the movie to friends and family, what did you learn that actually impacted the finished film?

VAUGHN: The biggest thing I learned is that when you make a movie, [and show] a studio executive, most people say, “What notes do you have?” The first note you are always going to hear is, “Can you make it shorter?” And they’re right. There are two things to learn when you test a movie. There are only two questions I am definitely interested in: Clarity, and length and pace. So, it’s three, but it’s two things sort of combined together.

This movie, the first cut, everyone said it was too long. So we cut it right down. We took 15 minutes out, rescreened it, and everyone said, “We have no idea what the hell’s going on.” So by making it shorter, the clarity just went out the window. Then there was a balancing act, because when you have twists and turns, you have an explosion, you gotta let that dust settle, and then carry on, and then have another explosion. But if you do too many explosions together, I realized people actually couldn’t cope with it, like “Whoa what’s going on?” And also, then the twists weren’t quite as fun because it became too much of a boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. So that was the first lesson I had.

And the second one is a really interesting one because I’ve been doing this for a long time. so it’s amazing how you always learn. I think the moment you don’t learn making a movie, maybe it’s time to retire because you’d be under the illusion that you think you know everything. So we have the big smoke dance. And then we have, let’s call it, an ice skating sequence.

Oil.

VAUGHN: Yeah. Okay, so in the oil sequence, the thing that was bizarre is I tried 700 songs on it, and I pride myself on this. They call it the needle drop. I don’t call it needle drops. I call it the marriage of source music and film. I don’t like the word needle drop. I couldn’t get a song to fit, and every time I went, “That’s it. We’ve got it,” — we tried things from “Knock on Wood” to Shania Twain. We tried all these different songs — when I watched, I said, “We’ve nailed it.” We screened it to an audience, [and the] least liked sequence: oil. So everyone’s saying, “You should cut the oil sequence.” And I was like, “Do you know how hard it was to film?” And I know that should not be a reason to not edit something, but I was looking at the oil sequence going, “I think this is pretty cool and original. Why is the audience not liking the oil sequence?” I just couldn’t understand it. And then I watched the movie again. I went “Ah! We have the big needle drop. Three-and-a-half minutes later, we have a second needle drop in an action sequence.” It was too much for them. It was too much salt, too much sugar, whatever it is. So I said, “Okay, let’s score it. Let’s just put a good old-fashioned score. Hero music.” Whacked it on, showed the movie, everyone cheering and clapping [for] the oil sequence. So it was a really big lesson for me.

Image via Apple TV+

Did you end up with a lot of deleted scenes?

VAUGHN: Not on this one. Can you imagine the chaos of deleting? That’s what happened. We deleted some scenes and everyone was like, “Oh, what the hell’s going on?” I do say that about movies: if you can cut scenes and the movie still makes sense, you probably haven’t got that good a movie. Other movies of mine where we had to cut scenes for length, you have to go reshoot bridging scenes. Otherwise, you ain’t got a good script.

Matthew Vaughn Wrote a Disco Song, “Electric Energy” for ‘Argylle’

Image via Apple TV+/Universal

You wrote a disco song for this movie. It’s very frustrating, because clearly you have more talent than just writing and directing.

VAUGHN: I co-wrote.

But you know what I mean. I believe it’s called “Electric Energy.” Talk a little bit about that song, because it’s catchy. And you have Boy George and Ariana [DeBose] and Niall [Rogers]. So talk a little bit about putting that song together.

VAUGHN: It was an odd one because again, we were finding it hard to find a song that fitted the scene, the action sequence. We started mucking around with score, and doing disco vibes. I’m a big fan of Ariana’s and I said, “hey, do you want to go sing?” So she sang this idea we had, and I went, “oh, that’s not bad.” Then we sent it to Boy George, who liked it, and he wrote some new stuff for it, and then Niall Rogers saw the film, an earlier cut, and went, “hey, I could help that song.” So I’m suddenly like this is surreal.

‘Argylle’ Features a Never-Before-Heard Beatles Song

Image via StudioCanal

So switching to the next thing. You’re a huge Beatles fan. Talk about geeking out and being able to work a Beatles song in.

VAUGHN: That was, again, a surreal “what the fuck moment” — a WTF moment should we say. We were trying to find a love song for the movie which had both pathos and hope. And most love songs, I realized after now listening to virtually every love song ever written for this movie, they’re either very sad or they’re very syrupy and sweet. I was with Giles Martin, who was helping us on other areas of the music, and I said, “Giles, I can’t find a song.” And he goes, “What about a new Beatles song?” Giles and I go back a long way, and we pull each other’s legs. We have a lot of fun with each other. I was like, “Yeah, a new Beatles song. How many of them do you have at the moment?” He goes, “No, deadly serious. There is a new Beatles song. You can’t tell anyone. I’ll play it to you.”

When we made Snatch, every big British band wrote songs for Snatch, and I had to turn them all down.” The songs just weren’t good enough for the movie, and it was really embarrassing when an artist who you admire and respect plays you a song, and especially when Guy [Richie] would say, “It’s brilliant,” and then leave the room and tell me, “Uh-uh, get rid of it.” And I’m like, “You fuck.” Then I’d have to go and explain, “We’re not gonna use it.”

Image via Columbia Pictures

So I thought, “Oh my god, I’m now going to hear a Beatles song.” I was thinking, “Could I turn the Beatles down? I don’t want to turn the Beatles down.” And the pressure of hearing a new Beatles song was a weird thing. I remember Giles played it, and I was like, “Dude, this was like it’s been written for the movie. The lyrics. Everything.” So he slapped it on, and we didn’t have to re-edit the song. We didn’t have to change anything. Then Lorne [Balfe] heard it, my composer, and he went, “I can do an orchestral version of this that will absolutely just lift the audience.” So, hearing it, then becoming an orchestral piece, as well. I got to meet Sir Paul McCartney, and all the others, Ringo’s family and [George] Harrison’s, and obviously Sean Lennon, and Sean was an astonishingly bright and interesting man. And I knew about this over a year ago, and I couldn’t tell anyone. I swore to them I wouldn’t mention it. And I’m sitting there going, “Oh my god, I’ve got a Beatles song, and I can’t play it to anyone. I’m not allowed to talk about it.” Now, I am allowed to talk about it. So it was an honor, and it was a privilege, and it was great fun.

You put together this huge cast. How much after you’re casting some of these people are you tweaking the script to the voice of the actors you are casting, and how much is it they’re coming in to do exactly what’s in the script?

VAUGHN: If you cast it right, it’s a very organic process. I try to cast actors that I feel are the character. I think [Sam] Rockwell and Aidan Wild, there’s a lot of similarities. Henry Cavill and Argylle, a lot of similarities. Bryce and an author, you just buy it, right? I think probably the only actor that had to create more of a character, and be one, would be Bryan Cranston playing the villain. I’m assuming he doesn’t go around with shotguns and shoot people for making a mistake. I hope. I think the trick of casting is that you just believe that person is that person immediately.

Image via Universal Pictures

You have a schedule and a budget. What ended up being really the most challenging things that you needed in terms of making this movie, with the schedule and budget that you had?

VAUGHN: There were several. First of all, this is the first time I’ve made a movie wearing a mask, and with the whole crew wearing a mask, and everyone in zones. It’s just very difficult, and I had never realized how hard it is to communicate wearing a mask. I would have thought it was just about [being] audible, but it’s actually so much more, how we look at each other. Your face emotes more than I realized. I thought it was just the eyes and lips, but it’s not. It’s much more. Secondly, the fear of everyone getting ill, or being the person to get everyone ill — that was weird.

What was really hard about this movie is that it was very hard to get a crew. We couldn’t get any sound stages, so every day I’d be turning up somewhere new. We were shooting in cow sheds sometimes — I’m not exaggerating — or in fields. And the travel restrictions. So the logistics on this film were incredibly difficult, much harder than I ever imagined a movie to be. That bit was hard. But what was great, what was easy, was having such amazing actors. The actors never saw the madness we were going through just to get a camera in the right place, even getting lenses. After the lockdown, we were very low on the pecking order. We’re so low, we couldn’t even get stages.

It’s so funny you say this, because I would never think of you and having difficulty getting stages. But I have heard from a lot of filmmakers that London, and the London area, is crazy.

VAUGHN: Yeah, because Disney took Pinewood, Netflix took Shepperton, Warner Brothers have Leavesden, and we were independent. So guess what we had? Nothing.

Dua Lipa Has Talent in Spades in ‘Argylle’

Image via Apple TV+

Talk a little bit about Dua Lipa. She has a big part in the first act, and she’s really good in the movie. But when did you know she can pull this off?

VAUGHN: I’m very instinctive about casting, and I needed someone that could be a Femme Fatale, opposite Henry Cavill with a flat top. Not easy. And to hold the screen 50/50, I just knew. Even when we just did the video with Boy George and I put the camera on him, I call it when the lens melts — I don’t know whether it’s the human melting into the lens, or the lens melting into them — but I just look for a lens, and the people either got that or they don’t. I don’t know what it is, Dua has it in spades.

The Impact of Brad Allan on Film

Image via Tristar Pictures

I definitely want to touch on Brad Allan. It’s such a huge loss for the film industry, and also for you personally. Can you talk about his contributions, and why he was so fucking awesome at his craft?

VAUGHN: Brad was trained by Jackie Chan, the master of all masters when it comes to action and to comedy and humor and bravery. When Brad and I did Kick-Ass, it was an extraordinary moment because we just saw eye to eye. He was the only person I could say, “I’m gonna have a little girl, and I wanted to go down the corridor,” and he was like, “Great!” Everybody else was like, “What the hell is he talking about?”

I said with Kingsman, “I’ve got this idea. We’re gonna do a church sequence. It’s gonna go on and on and on. Harry Hart is gonna kill everyone. We’re gonna try and do it all in one shot,” before one-shot became this thing. Now it’s, “Let’s do everything in a one-shot.” It’s weird. There needs to be a reason for doing a one-shot. It has to tell a story. I think it’s become this big thing of “one-shot moviemaking” or sequences. And he’s like, “Yep.” I said, “We’re gonna do exploding heads.” “Yep.” “And Rasputin, we’re gonna make Rasputin.” He’s the only person who would never try and talk me out of it. Everybody else would say, “You’re crazy. It just wouldn’t work.”

So when I rang him up on this, I said, “Look, I’m gonna do feminine action, and I’ve got this idea. We’re gonna do a dance of smoke, and we’re gonna do an ice skating sequence,” because I felt the two things were more feminine than masculine. “How about it?” He’s like, “Yeah, let’s go.” Then we sit there, and then I said to him, “We can do a Moke sequence, we’ll turn the Moke into a skateboard,” and he’s like, “Yep.”

He got me, and I got him. And not having him around, because he wasn’t here to shoot, it was hard for me. I was talking about creative delegating, or delegating creativity. I could with him. We’d sit there, we’d storyboard it, we’d stump VIS it, and I knew it was gonna come back exactly as we agreed. So this was difficult because I didn’t have that. I was like keeping an eye on the guys. And listen, let’s give [it to] the Vram lot, because then they’ve taken over, and they were all Brad’s protegés. He’s trained these young kids up. When we watched the movie, the first thing we all said to each other is, “I hope we made him proud,” because he’s a genius, and he’s left a hole that I can never fill.

Was ‘Argylle’ Going to Be Rated R?

Image via Apple TV+/Universal

So, this works completely as a PG-13 movie. You are known, except going back to Stardust, as an R-rated filmmaker. Was there ever any talk about doing this as R-rated? Did you really enjoy working in the PG-13 space?

VAUGHN: There is always going to be a PG-13. I think movies should be the rating that the movie needs to be for the film. I don’t think I could have done a PG-13 Kick-Ass or Kingsman. If I remade Scarface, it’s going to be an R, you know? I like R-rated without realizing it, as well. But this movie, I think it needed to be PG-13, and I was quite happy with that. Actually, there were a few little edits I had to do, which I was like, “Oh, come on, what’s wrong with you?” But they have rules and I have to follow them.

The musical is definitely gonna be R, because I just think if I’m gonna do a musical, I gotta do something no one’s seen before, and everyone would be like, “Oh my god,” because it really is. It has scenes in there where even I’m like, “Am I gonna get away with this?” which gets me excited. I didn’t write it, by the way. The writer, when he sent it, I was like, “Fuck me. There’s someone out there crazier than me. This is exciting.” Which is rare. But yeah, it’s a PG-13, and I’m proud of it. I think right now, I want families to go together and enjoy this movie.

I don’t mean to bring personal stuff in, but your daughters really were instrumental in a lot of things that helped make this movie.

VAUGHN: Definitely. They loved Romancing the Stone. We watched that during lockdown, and I was feeling how bleak the world was then, and feeling it is going to get bleaker. Sadly, it has. I said, “Let’s make a warm, feel-good hug. A ray of sunshine in a dark world.”

Last thing for you. With the PG-13, the MPAA lets you do one “fuck” and you gave it to Bryce. Can you talk about how you chose where you wanted to drop your one F-bomb?

VAUGHN: I wanted to give it to the character where it would have the most impact, be more surprising and would land a certain moment.

Argylle is in theaters now.

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