Taylor Swift does it all. The multi-hyphenate writes Grammy-winning songs, performs in stadiums globally, and attends Travis Kelce’s NFL games. However, one thing Swift did not do is pen Argylle. While speaking with Rolling Stone, Argylle director Matthew Vaughn dismissed the rumors that Swift is Elly Conway, the author behind the spy novel.
“I’m not a big internet guy, and 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!’” Vaughn said. “I’m looking at her going, ‘What are you talking about Taylor Swift wrote the book? She didn’t write the book!’ I was laughing because I was like, ‘It’s not true! She didn’t write the book!’ But my daughter was convinced of it.”
Vaughn confirmed that Elly Conway exists, and she wrote Argylle. However, Vaughn did not reveal her true identity.
“There is an Elly Conway who wrote the book, but it’s not Taylor Swift,” Vaughn explained. “And I say that because I imagine Taylor Swift has a load of people trying to jump on her bandwagon left, right, and center, 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.”
What to Expect in Argylle?
Bryce Dallas Howard stars as Elly Conway, the author behind the Argylle series. Henry Cavill plays Agent Argylle, the protagnonist in Conway’s series. Sam Rockwell stars as Aiden Wilde, the undercover spy assigned to protect and save Elly from being kidnapped and killed.
Argylle’s ensemble cast features Catherine O’Hara, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, Bryan Cranston, John Cena, and Samuel L. Jackson.
The official synopsis reads: “Bryce Dallas Howard is Elly Conway, the reclusive author of a series of best-selling espionage novels, whose idea of bliss is a night at home with her computer and her cat, Alfie. But when the plots of Elly’s fictional books — which center on secret agent Argylle and his mission to unravel a global spy syndicate — begin to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organization, quiet evenings at home become a thing of the past. Accompanied by Aiden (Sam Rockwell), a cat-allergic spy, Elly (carrying Alfie in her backpack) races across the world to stay one step ahead of the killers as the line between Elly’s fictional world and her real one begins to blur.”
Argylle is directed by Vaughn from a screenplay by Jason Fuchs. Vaughn and Fuchs produce alongside Adam Bohling and David Reid. Apple Orginal Films and Universal Pictures will release Argylle theatrically on February 2, 2024. The film will stream on Apple TV+ at a later date.
