For months, social media has been dominated by rumours and theories that Taylor Swift might be the mysterious "Elly Conway." That moniker is used as a pseudonym by the mysterious writer responsible for penning the book on which filmmaker Matthew Vaughn's upcoming spy thriller, Argylle, is based.
The author's manuscript was supposedly so astonishing that a $200 million deal was made for the movie rights and screenwriter Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman) later adapted it into a script for Vaughn to direct.
Bryce Dallas Howard plays Elly Conway in the film itself (it's all very meta) but Swift's fans remain convinced she's tried her hand at writing a novel. It stems from her history of wearing argyle sweaters, a similar appearance to Howard's Conway in one of her music videos, and because the film prominently features a Scottish Fold cat. She owns two of them, Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson.
There have been a few other hard-to-ignore clues as well and, thus far, Universal has leaned heavily into it. It's massively increased interest in Argylle but the studio's efforts may have all been for nought thanks to the movie's director.
"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 told Rolling Stone (via ActionNewz.com). "And I’m looking at her going, 'What are you talking about Taylor Swift wrote the book? She didn’t write the book!' And I was laughing because I was like, 'It’s not true! She didn’t write the book!' But my daughter was convinced of it."
"There is a real book..and it’s a really good book," he continued. "And there is an Elly Conway who wrote the book, but it’s not Taylor Swift. And I say that because I imagine Taylor Swift has a load of people trying to jump on her bandwagon left, right, and center. 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."
It feels like a misstep on Vaughn's part to admit this and we can't help but think he's just lost a legion of ticket-buying Swifties (who helped The Eras Tour movie break records last fall). Still, the singer was responsible for at least one significant addition to the movie.
"Ironically, what she is responsible for is the Scottish Fold," the director said. "I got home one day, it was Christmas, and I was like, ‘What the f*** is that noise?’ And I’m running around the house and I hear a noise, and the kids had seen a Taylor Swift documentary and there was a Scottish Fold in that, and they’d persuaded my wife, Claudia [Schiffer], to get them the kitten for Christmas. It was bought without my permission and hidden from me."
Argylle's cast includes Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World), Sam Rockwell (Iron Man 2), Henry Cavill (The Witcher), John Cena (Fast X), Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), Dua Lipa (Barbie), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek), Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service), and Samuel L. Jackson (Secret Invasion).
The movie is directed and produced by Matthew Vaughn, from a screenplay by Jason Fuchs. It arrives in theaters on February 2.