When the trailer first dropped for Argylle, a new spy/thriller film dropping in early 2024, fans were pretty excited.
It looked like a decent movie; it had a star-studded cast that included Dua Lipa and Henry Cavill, a very cute cat was involved, and the plot followed an introverted spy novelist who is drawn into the real world of espionage.
Now, a new theory going viral on TikTok has got everyone talking, drawing parallels between the film Argylle with the one and only Taylor Swift. Confused? We’ll start from the beginning.
What is Argylle about?
In Argylle, Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), a reclusive spy novelist who rarely ventures beyond the confines of her own home, finds herself thrust into the treacherous realm of real-life espionage.
Her fictional tales of intrigue start mirroring the shadowy manoeuvres of a malevolent underground syndicate, and soon, Elly’s vivid imagination becomes a perilous reality.
Aiden (Same Rockwell), a mysterious operative, emerges to rescue Elly from what he insists is a clear and present danger – the imminent threat of abduction or worse.
In a heartbeat, Elly and her beloved feline companion, Alfie, are catapulted into a clandestine universe where illusions abound, and trust is a scarce commodity. In this high-stakes game of deception, nothing is as it appears, and no one can be taken at face value.
Is Argylle based on a book?
This is where it gets interesting. The film Argylle is actually based on a novel by author Elly Conway. Not just any book though, the fourth book in her series…of which none are actually published.
Strange, but not totally weird right? Argyle: A Novel, the first book in the series, is set to be released in January 2024.
The following three books don’t even have release dates yet and the movie (which is based on book #4 remember!) will drop in February 2024.
The film is set to take a “meta” approach to the spy thriller cliche and will show the author (Elly Conway) writing the book within the movie.
Who is Elly Conway?
This is where things really get *interesting.*
A quick Google search shows a pretty rounded picture of the author Elly Conway. Her Penguin Books author profile reads; “Elly Conway was born and raised in upstate New York. She wrote her first novel about Agent Argylle while working as a waitress in a late-night diner.”
If you head to Instagram, the upcoming author, who is yet to release her debut novel boasts a verified account with around 8k followers.
The account doesn’t really offer much more information though, with sporadic posts beginning on December 13, 2022.
Some captions share a bit more insight into Elly herself, however, there are no actual photos of the author.
“How do you fluster an introvert?” she begins the caption of her second Instagram post on September 23. “Publish her first novel, have Matthew Vaughn buy the movie rights, then tell her she has to start using social media for ‘visibility.’”
So really, whilst we don’t know much about the upcoming author, she has a pretty good excuse – she’s shy!
Is Elly Conway actually Taylor Swift?
So why then are some people doubting if Elly Conway is a real person? TikTok of course!
@JessiSwiftTok posted a video on TikTok on October 9, questioning if Taylor Swift herself was writing the pseudonym Elly Conway.
The Swiftie shares a number of reasonable arguments including:
- The cat in the movie is carried around in a backpack that looks unusually similar to the backpack Miss Taylor herself is known to carry her cats around in.
- In the short film All Too Well, Taylor sports red hair and is an author. In the film Argylle, Author Elly Conway also has red hair, and is an author.
- The movie is called Argylle….Taylor loves an argyle print.
- In the trailer, Henry Cavill says: “The bigger the spy….the bigger the lie.”
- The film comes out on 2/2/24 and Taylor loves “those kinds of numbers.”
“Is Taylor Swift Elly Conway,” Jessi asks in the video, “Is that a pseudonym?”
Later in TikTok, Jessi also pulls up a photo of Taylor sitting on stage during rehearsals wearing a sweatshirt with the logo for “Conway Records” emblazoned on it.
Jessi also points to a number of news articles that have also tried to figure out who the elusive Elly Conway is.
Taylor fans have quickly jumped on the theory, offering their own ‘invisible strings’ that seem to prove Taylor Swift is involved in the movie.
“The fact that it’s not just any cat but a SCOTTISH FOLD has me so convinced,” replied one fan.
Another fan shared that the only other mention online of “Elly Conway,” is a character on Neighbours, whose first appearance was on December 13. And guess where Taylor herself will be in February when the film drops? Australia – where Neighbours is made.
Speaking of Taylor’s affinity for the number 13, other fans pointed out the coincidence behind Elly’s first Instagram post being uploaded on the 13th of December, whilst her second was posted on the 22nd of September and (bear with us) 9 + 2 + 2 = 13.
Other fans pointed out that the cat in the movie has an official Instagram account, which only follows the cast members of Argylle and you guessed it, Taylor.
“What unknown unpublished books/authors get MAJOR movie deals with A-list stars?” another fan questioned, while pointing out the argyle pattern, red lipstick and cat on the movie poster are all very “Taylor.”
The general consensus on the TikTok video which has racked up almost a million views in the past 48 hours is that Taylor Swift is definitely behind the book and movie, but that’s just Swiftie’s drawing their own conclusions.
Is Taylor Swift Elly Conway? Or is Elly Conway just a Swiftie fan herself? Our sources confirm Taylor is not the author, but we have to admit it’s a fun theory!
When is Argylle released?
Taylor Swift adjacent or not, the movie looks good! Aussies will be able to watch Argylle in Cinemas on February 1, 2024.
The film is also an Apple original, so it’s likely it will be available to stream on Apple TV+ at a later date.
You can also pre-order the book, here.
Watch The Trailer for Argylle, Below.
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