Do You Know Argylle, The Action-Comedy By Kingsman Director Matthew Vaughn, Has A Singapore Connection?
Argylle, starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Henry Cavill and Sam Rockwell, is out in cinemas this week.
Argylle, the latest movie from Matthew Vaughn, the helmer behind the Kingsman franchise and Kick-Ass, is released in cinemas this week, and it features a set of characters with a Singapore connection.
The characters aren’t human: they’re 10-inch (25 cm) tall figurines to be exact, created by local independent design studio Mighty Jaxx.
In the movie, the mini-statues are heightened versions of characters in spy novelist Elly Conway’s (Bryce Dallas Howard) series of best-selling books and are prominently displayed on her desk.
Hilarity and chaos ensue when Conway realises that her made-up espionage adventures contain secrets to real-life cloak-and-dagger shenanigans.
The movie also stars Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, Samuel L Jackson, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Ariana DeBose, John Cena, and Dua Lipa.
Speaking to 8days.sg, Mighty Jaxx founder and CEO Jackson Aw, 33, said he’s still reeling from the day — circa September 2021 — he received the call (or rather e-mail) from Vaughn’s production shingle Marv.
“They reached out to us to talk about making certain props and figures for their upcoming movie,” Aw recalled. “[At that time,] we weren’t sure what that movie was, so it was kind of hard to visualise.”
But as more information followed in dribs and drabs, it began to dawn on Aw that they were working on an actual Hollywood film.
Aw added that he never visited the set of Argylle (which was shot primarily in England) nor he did meet Vaughn, but he was kept in the loop of the production.
Marv and Mighty Jaxx concept artist Charles Northrup came up with the figures' “angular and humanoid” aesthetic.
Aw said, “He just fleshed it out within a couple of drafts pretty quickly and Marv approved it, very timely as well.”
Play time: Mighty Jaxx founder and CEO Jackson Aw (right) with concept artist Charles Northrup and their Argylle figures.
Since its inception in 2012, Mighty Jaxx has worked with international brands such as DC Comics, Nickelodeon and Netflix. But the Argylle collab is an altogether different beast.
Aw said, “What is interesting about Argylle is that compared to the other types of partnerships we do, the figures are going to be used in the film and they are actually a core part of the plot and the storyline.”
A deal like this is usually done in the US, he added. So for Marv to partner up with a Singapore-based company is “something worth celebrating by the creative circle here.”
Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that one day Mighty Jaxx would team up with a Hollywood studio. “But when it actually happens, it starts to put thoughts in your mind, hey, as Singaporean creatives here, we can create world-class stuff if we choose to, if we dedicate our craft to it. I hope this is a first of many to come.”
So the whole experience is like scoring a Golden Ticket to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory?
“Yes, in many ways,” he said.
At time of interview, Aw has yet to see Argylle. And no, he hasn’t met its director and actors. He came close, though: due a scheduling conflict last month, Aw missed out on meeting them during their promo tour in Seoul.
“I like Henry Cavill a lot because I love The Witcher as well,” the father of two said. “He just looks so damn handsome. Like, I don’t know what’s wrong with it, but there is something [intriguing] about his profile.”Argylle (PG13) is in cinemas now. Mighty Jaxx will release The Argylle Movie Collectible Series — featuring eight 10” vinyl characters, each retailing at US$169 (S$226). The collection is available for pre-order from Mighty Jaxx worldwide from Feb 2, 10pm SGT onwards.
Photos: UIP, Mighty Jaxx
