Argylle: Is Elly Conway Taylor Swift? Speculation over author of book that inspired Henry Cavill film

Argylle is the spy movie that is getting everyone talking. From the mind of Matthew Vaughn, who is best known for Kick-Ass and Kingsman, the Apple film has sparked a conspiracy of its own over the identity of its author, Elly Conway.

Starring Henry Cavill, Samuel L. Jackson, Bryan Cranston, John Cena and Dua Lipa making her film debut, it's a big deal for a first-time novel that has only just been released. This has sparked wild internet rumours about its origins.

The film is based on the book of the same name, with the elusive author Conway also featuring in the film played by Bryce Dallas Howard. So, who is Elly Conway, is she a real person and could she really be Taylor Swift? Here's everything we know so far.

Is Argylle based on a book?

Argylle is inspired by the novel of the same name by first-time author, Elly Conway, whose true identity remains a mystery, fuelling wild rumours online. Making things even stranger still, Conway is also the name of the best-selling crime novelist in the film.

Penguin listed the book on their website on January 4, alongside a list of praise from reviewers. Their description for the novel reads: "The Explosive Spy Thriller That Inspired the new Matthew Vaughn film starring Henry Cavill and Bryce Dallas Howard".

Who is Elly Conway?

Conway is an elusive character, the first-time author keeps out of the public eye and has a relatively modest following on X and Instagram. Penguin describe her as being from Upstate New York, adding that she wrote the novel whilst working as a waitress in a late-night diner.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Apple paid $200 million for the deal, however, it's not confirmed if this is how much Conway was paid for the book rights. The shockingly high sum and fact that the book only dropped recently has left internet sleuths guessing that Conway could actually be a celebrity in disguise.

Another thing which got the internet talking was when Vaughn discussed how they decided on the book in the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast. The director revealed: "I read the book, they bought the manuscript of the book, and met with Fuchs, and we just came up with this."

He added: "Book 4, which is what the movie’s based around..." - but there's one catch, book 4 hasn't been published yet.

Is Elly Conway Taylor Swift?

The mystery surrounding the identity of Conway has led some fans to speculate that she is actually none other than Taylor Swift, leading the author to take to X to tell her followers, "I'm not Taylor Swift."

Her post went on to add: "We both love cats and I adore her music. I’m sure that when she writes a book she will use her name and it will be as brilliant as everything she does."

However, in the comments below, followers still questioned her identity with one asking, "Then who are you? Because big budget films with a great cast don’t just get made on books that haven’t been published yet." And another adding: "This seems like something Taylor Swift would say."

Actor Bryce Dallas Howard, who plays Conway in the movie even had to shut down the rumours during her recent appearance on the Graham Norton show. When asked about Swift, she said: "We can’t pretend she was involved."

Argylle UK release date

Argylle will be available to watch in UK cinemas from Friday, February 2.

Sarah McCann is NationalWorld’s Entertainment and Trends Writer, who specialises in TV and Film. If you liked this article you can follow Sarah on X (Twitter) here.