Did Taylor Swift really write the book for the spy thriller ‘Argylle’? That’s behind the crazy rumor

Ever since the first trailer for Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle dropped in September 2023, fans have been going crazy on social media. On the one hand, this has to do with the star cast including ex-‘Witcher’ Henry Cavill, pop singer Dua Lipa and ‘Jurassic World’ alumni Bryce Dallas Howard. On the other hand, with the hope of a new stroke of genius from the creator of “Kick-Ass” and “Kingsman”. However, someone completely different is responsible for the greatest hysteria, namely: Taylor Swift.

Because fans of the pop icon believe they have discovered striking similarities with the Taylor Swift cosmos in the publicly circulating material from the spy thriller. The theories even go so far as to suggest that Taylor Swift is the author Elly Conway, who is said to be behind the novel ‘Argylle’ and also appears as a character in Bryce Dallas Howard’s film. And as far-fetched as it may sound, the Swifties have suspicious evidence on their side…

Who is Elly Conway?

In October 2023, director Matthew Vaughn spoke on the podcast about “Argylle” and explained that the film would be based on the fourth novel in a series by author Elly Conway. However, this novel had not yet been published at that time, nor had the three previous parts of the series. In fact, the public has never heard of an author named Elly Conway.

However, an empty profile with the corresponding name was already circulating on Instagram in September, which later turned out to be that of the novelist. In her second post, Conway explained: “How do you make an introvert nervous? By publishing her first book, having Matthew Vaughn buy the movie rights and telling her to start using social media for “reach.”

What does Taylor Swift have to do with it?

Many were therefore certain that Elly Conway does not represent a real person, but must instead be a pseudonym – which is fueled by the syllable “Con” in her last name, because a “Con Artist” is known to be a fraud. And this is where Taylor Swift comes into play. Because Swifties couldn’t help but notice some elements in the “Argylle” trailer that strongly reminded them of the pop singer – especially in the character Elly Conway herself, who acts as author.

Bryce Dallas Howard has red hair as Elly Conway, just like Taylor Swift in the music video for “All Too Well,” in which she also plays an author. Conway is wearing a cardigan, which of course reminded Swifties of Taylor Swift’s hit single “Cardigan.” The most crucial element, however, is a backpack that Conway carries with him and a Scottish fold cat looks out of the circular window.

In Taylor Swift’s Netflix documentary ‘Miss Americana’, the musician is seen several times with a similar backpack, which was even specially designed for her cats Olivia Benson (named after Olivia Benson from ‘Law & Order’) and Meredith Gray ( named after Meredith from “Grey’s Anatomy”). Swift’s cats, like Elly Conway’s pet, belong to the Scottish Fold cat species.

Bryce Dallas Howard denies rumors

During the press tour for ‘Argylle’, numerous journalists and presenters took the opportunity to ask the cast of the action thriller about the rumors. Jimmy Fallon also spoke this way in the with Bryce Dallas Howard about the theory and even shoved the photo of Taylor Swift with the cat backpack in her face. The actress explained that the pop singer actually had something to do with it – but not what fans thought.

“Matthew saw this photo and thought, ‘This needs to be in a movie, this situation needs to be in a movie.’ A woman on the run with her cat in her backpack.She added that the Swifties were even able to convince Matthew Vaughn’s daughter of the fan theory: “Matthew kept it all a secret, he’s probably a spy or a ‘Bond’ villain himself. But he had no idea about this rumor until his daughter came running into his room and said, ‘Why didn’t you tell me Taylor Swift wrote ‘Argylle’?‘ And he said, ‘Excuse me?!'”

In addition to the inspirations mentioned, there are also some coincidences here. Bryce Dallas Howard revealed that the year “1989” suddenly appeared in the film, which even reminded her of Taylor Swift’s famous album – but simply represents the year Matthew Vaughn graduated. While the cat backpack creates a real bond with the musician, However, the furry friend in “Argylle” is Matthew Vaughn’s daughter’s pet, which he borrowed for the shoot — and, purely coincidentally, is the same species as Swift’s cats. The director explained this .

If Taylor Swift isn’t Elly Conway, who is?

At the London premiere of ‘Argylle’, Matthew Vaughn finally addressed the rumors surrounding the mysterious author, clarifying: “It’s not Taylor Swift, but books don’t write themselves. I wish they would. I wish scripts would write themselves. I wish movies would direct themselves. […] There is an Elly Conway. And I urge Elly Conway to step out of the shadows because this Taylor Swift thing is really driving me crazy.

Although Elly Conway has not officially stepped out of the shadows, Sophia Nguyen believes in coming out of the shadows to have revealed the secret. Conway is actually supposed to be British author Tammy Cohen. In the acknowledgments of “Argylle”, the author mentions the astronomer Robert Massey, who explained her about star maps. The journalist then called Massey and asked him about Conway. He reported that he was not interviewed by an author named Conway, but instead by an author named Tammy Cohen.

Cohen has already published several spy thrillers that bear similarities to ‘Argylle’. And she also has an indirect connection to Matthew Vaughn: Cohen’s agent Felicity Blunt is married to actor Stanley Tucci, who appeared in Vaughn’s film “Kingsman.” Solid evidence or just more fuel in the fire of the rumor mill? Until Cohen or Conway or whoever says something about it, we won’t know for better or for worse…

‘Argylle’ has been in cinemas since February 1, 2024.