A first teaser trailer for Universal's upcoming spy film Argylle has just been unveiled...

the cat-centric new trailer foreshadows the madcap mysteries ahead, with a disembodied voiceover saying: "Once you've discovered the secret, don't let the cat out of the bag," over the ominous ticking of a clock.

The film, directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman: The Secret Service), boasts a star-studded cast, featuring Dua Lipa, Samuel L Jackson (The Avengers), Catherine O'Hara (Schitt's Creek), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Henry Cavill (Man of Steel).

Argylle is based upon a yet-to-be-released novel of the same name, by first-time author Ellie Conway, which is set for release by Penguin at the start of next year.

Sharing the same namesake as her real-life counterpart, Bryce Dallas Howard stars as Elly Conway, an introverted cat-lover and author of spy fiction. In the film, the fictional plots of Conway's spy novels eerily begin to mirror the actions and shady dealings of a real espionage organisation.

The upcoming spy action caper is similarly shrouded in mystery, as little is known of the original book's author. Earlier this year, attempts were made by The Hollywood Reporter to contact Conway, her publicist, and her talent agent — but yielded little results.

Following a mysterious string of murders that eerily echo the author's fictional worlds, alongside her beloved cat Alfie, she teams up with spy Aiden (Sam Rockwell); embarking on a wild goose chase and uncovering an international conspiracy of immense proportions, where nothing, and no one, is what it seems.

When the film was first announced in 2021, Vaughn dubbed the book, "the most compelling spy thriller I've ever read."

The director added: "When I read this early draft manuscript I felt it was the most incredible and original spy franchise since Ian Fleming's books of the '50s. This is going to reinvent the spy genre."

Argylle is set to hit Irish screens on February 2, 2024, before streaming worldwide on Apple TV+

Watch the new trailer below: