Is Argylle based on a book – and is Taylor Swift involved?

At one point, fans thought they figured out that pop megastar Taylor Swift was secretly behind the project, which arrives in theaters just weeks after a mysterious novel of the same name hit bookstores around the world.

So, what exactly is going on here? Is Argylle the movie based on Argylle the book? And how does Swift fit into all of this? Read on for everything you need to know.

Is Argylle based on a book?

Well, the answer to this question is quite complicated.

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The film‘s screenplay – written by Jason Fuchs – is an original story that is not based on any existing novel or other source. So far, it’s so simple.

But where things get confusing is when it comes to the main character Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), who is introduced in the film as a bestselling spy novelist who has written several entries in the “Argylle” series.

The problem is that very recently, the first entry in this series has been released in the real world – written by an author also named Elly Conway.

The synopsis of the novel reads: “A Russian tycoon’s dream of restoring the greatness of a nation has set in motion a chain of events that will bring the world to the brink of chaos. Only Frances Coffey, the CIA’s most legendary spymaster, can stop it. .

“But to do that, she needs someone special. Enter Argylle, a troubled agent with a tarnished past who just might have the skills to take on one of the most powerful men in the world. If only he could save first…”

According to the film‘s press notes, the unpublished manuscript for this novel arrived on Matthew Vaughn’s desk and led him to conclude that it was “the best spy thriller he had ever read” – and that he wanted to adapt it in an unorthodox way.

And that’s how Argylle, the film, was born.

Is Taylor Swift involved?

Few details about Elly Conway who supposedly wrote this novel have been revealed, beyond the fact that she was “born and raised in upstate New York” and that she “wrote her first novel about Agent Argylle while she worked as a waitress in a late night diner.” evening dinner.”

In the meantime, it quickly became clear that, in addition to little evidence of his existence, it was also not possible to contact his publicist or talent agent.

Because of this mystery regarding her identity, many movie fans began to speculate that Elly Conway was actually the pseudonym of someone much more famous who had secretly written the novel.

Quickly, one of the names that emerged as a possible author of the book was none other than Taylor Swift.

Many Swifties pointed out a few clues that they believed linked the pop superstar to the project — including a resemblance between a cat seen in the film‘s trailer and Swift’s own pet — and the rumor mill quickly began to intensify.

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However, before the film‘s release, the theory was dismissed by Vaughn himself, who revealed that Swift was not involved in any way.

“It was actually my daughter who came to me – that’s the power of fame and the internet – and said, ‘You never told me Taylor wrote the book!'” , he explained to rolling stone.

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

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

“I read the plots and thought, ‘Wow, they leave nothing to chance!’ But she’s not Taylor Swift. She certainly didn’t write the book.”

So the answer is no – despite rumors to the contrary, Taylor Swift is not involved with Argylle.

So who is Elly Conway?

As for who the real Elly Conway is – and whether an author by that name actually exists – it’s still a mystery.

In an interview with film/global/argylle-elly-conway-real-matthew-vaughn-taylor-swift-1235887522/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>VarietyVaughn explained, “There’s an Elly Conway. I’m begging Elly Conway to come out because this Taylor Swift thing freaked me out. And it’s going to happen.”

Meanwhile, the film‘s composer Lorne Balfe added, “I honestly don’t know who she is,” while confirming that it definitely wasn’t Vaughn himself.

Perhaps the real Conway will come forward after the film is released in UK cinemas. We will certainly be on the lookout…

Best Movies Released This Month – February 2024

Argylle is released in UK cinemas on Friday February 2, 2024. Check out more of our movie coverage or visit our TV guide and streaming guide to find out what’s on.

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