Did Taylor Swift actually pen the spy flick Argylle?

Based on Elly Conway’s ongoing novel series, Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming spy thriller Argylle is set to hit the theatres on February 2, 2024. With its star-studded cast and gripping trailer, it has already caught the attention of spy movie enthusiasts. But another unexpected fandom has taken a keen interest in the movie — or rather decoding the movie. Ardent Taylor Swift fans, or Swifties, have begun to ask if Argylle was in fact penned by the singer herself. And considering how Swifties have proven their mastery at decoding easter eggs and clues time and time again, it’s a theory worth exploring.

Why are Swifties on the case, you ask? Fans believe that Argylle author Elly Conway is a pen name used by the songstress Taylor Swift. The theory first emerged when it was discovered that there was scant evidence that first-time novelist Elly Conway existed. Rumours were further fueled based on the nature of the unreleased book, on which the film is supposedly based — and the fact that Conway, her publicist, and talent agent were all seemingly uncontactable.

Why do Swifties think Elly Conway is Taylor Swift?

Swifties left no stone unturned to discover the identity of Elly Conway. Here’s why they seem to think that Conway is merely a pen name, and that it was actually the iconic songwriter who penned the spy thriller.

Elly Conway’s profile

“Elly Conway is the author of the debut thriller Argylle, the inspiration for the upcoming film of the same name. She lives somewhere in the United States.” This ambiguous writer’s profile has only added to the mystery. Her real-life presence is almost untraceable, and both her Instagram and Twitter accounts have no personal posts. She exclusively uses her social media to promote her book and the movie. Her reasoning? She’s an introvert. “How do you fluster an introvert?” she wrote in an early post. “Publish her first novel, have Matthew Vaughn buy the movie rights, then tell her she has to start using social media for ‘visibility.’”

A debut author with a multimillion-dollar deal

Argylle the movie is directed by Matthew Vaughn (who rose to fame for directing the film franchise Kingsman), and stars Henry Cavill, Ariana DeBose, Bryan Cranston, Dua Lipa, and last but not least, Bryce Dallas Howard as Elly Conway herself. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Apple paid USD 200 million for the deal — however, there is no confirmation on whether Apple had paid for the book’s film rights. What is known is that the movie is based on the books.

The first volume of the series was released in January 2024, but the movie is based on the yet-to-be-written fourth volume of the series. This implies that Vaughn is privy to the outline for the next books, or that the writer herself has shared her vision for the next instalments.

Vaughn said, “I read the book, they bought the manuscript of the book and met with [writer Jason] Fuchs, and we just came up with this.” Vaughn went on to explain that “Book 4, which is what the movie’s based around, was the one that would work for it. Mr. Lucas was clever enough to start Star Wars with Episode 4, so why not us?”

Now, landing a USD 200 million movie deal with multiple Hollywood A-listers on the cast is a dream come true for any debuting author. And let’s face it: getting a movie deal for any (future) book would be a walk-in cake for Swift, who has been called the most famous person in the world.

The number 13

Any Taylor Swift fan is aware of how much the singer obsesses over the number 13. Now, Elly Conway’s first ever Instagram post to promote Argylle was on Dec 13, 2022 (think Eastern Time), which is Swift’s birthday. And that’s not the end. After being almost being radio silent for a year, Conway next posted on September 22, which can be tabulated as such: 2+2+9=13. Coincidence? Swifties believe otherwise.

Taylor has used pseudonyms before

Writing a spy thriller novel is not something anyone would put past Taylor Swift. With her incredible talent for storytelling, writing a novel or beginning a novel series is very much within her capabilities. Additionally, Swift is also no stranger to pseudonyms, and has used the name Nils Sjoberg for Calvin Harris and Rihanna’s song “This Is What You Came For” to hide her identity. She has also also used the name William Bowery for crediting her then-boyfriend Joe Alwyn on her album, Folklore. Swift’s history of crafting alternate identities for artistic endeavours lends credence to the intriguing theory that she might be the elusive Elly Conway behind the upcoming spy thriller.

All Too Well: The short film

All Too Well: The short film, which was written and directed by the multitalented Taylor Swift is full of easter eggs. The singer herself has admitted the fact. In the movie, which stars Dylan O’Brien, Sadie Sink, and Swift, Dylan and Sadie take a walk in the woods, the latter sporting an argyle sweater.

Fast forward to thirteen years later at the end of the movie, and Swift makes her entrance as a writer, sporting red hair. Coincidentally, Bryce Dallas Howard who plays Conway in the movie is also a redhead.

Scottish fold cat and the bag

In the trailer, we can see Elly has a Scottish fold cat just like Taylor, and the cat looks a lot like Meredith Grey, the oldest of Swift’s three cats. And the scene where the cat is put into a cat backpack instantly brought Swifties back to the moment in Miss Americana (a Netflix documentary on Taylor’s journey), where she was spotted carrying one of her cats (Probably Olivia Benson) in a similar backpack.

Director Matthew Vaughn debunks the theory

While the Swifties may have cooked up a good conspiracy theory, director Matthew Vaughn has stepped up to debunk it.

“It was actually my daughter who came up to me — this is the power of celebrity and the internet — and said, ‘You never told me Taylor wrote the book!’” he explained to Rolling Stone.

“And I’m looking at her going, ‘What are you talking about Taylor Swift wrote the book? She didn’t write the book!’”

In the film’s synopsis, Ellie Conway the character is described as an “introverted spy novelist who seldom leaves her home”, but who “is drawn into the real world of espionage when the plots of her books get a little too close to the activities of a sinister underground syndicate.”

But Vaughan also went on to explain that, as well as being a character in his movie, there very much is a real author who has written a real Argylle novel – which he called “a really good book”.

He continued: “There is an Elly Conway who wrote the book, but it’s not Taylor Swift. And I say that because I imagine Taylor Swift has a load of people trying to jump on her bandwagon left, right, and centre, and I don’t want to be a part of that club.”

“I did read the conspiracies and I was like, wow, they don’t leave a stone unturned! But it’s not Taylor Swift. She definitely didn’t write the book.”

He has also said that he requested the author to come out of the shadows and reveal her identity as the Taylor Swift theory is getting out of hand.

In a tweet/X post, the writer also denied that she is Taylor Swift and added that she adores her music. Do note that the post surfaced from an unverified account. The cast of the movie has also joined in on the fun, and have decided to keep mum. Further fueling the theory, they have refused to disclose if they have even met the author in person. Watch what they say in an interview with ET.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

– Who wrote the book Argylle?

Elly Conway wrote Argylle, which is her debut novel, though a conspiracy has emerged among Swifties that Taylor Swift wrote it.

– Who wrote the movie Argylle?

Jason Fuchs wrote the screenplay for the movie, which is based on the 4th instalment of the Argylle series, which has yet to be written or released.

– Is the Argylle movie based on a book?

The Argylle movie is based on the yet-to-be-written 4th instalment of the novel series of the same name by Elly Conway.

– Is Argylle a book written by Taylor Swift?

Many fans seem to think that Taylor Swift penned the book Argylle but director Matthew Vaughn has already put all rumors to rest, affirming that Swift did not write the book and that Conway is a very real person.

Additional reporting from Pallabi Bose.

(Hero Image: IMDb and Featured Image: pushthecat/Instagram)

This story first appeared on www.radiotimes.com

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