Vanity Fair Debunks Rumors: Taylor Swift Is Not Involved in Upcoming Spy Movie Argylle

Article by Savannah Walsh

In the promoting phrase for the forthcoming spy thriller Argylle, "Once you know the secret, don't let the cat out of the bag," it is suggested that Taylor Swift could be the brains behind the origin story of this film. Though this isn't true, it has sparked quite a bit of speculation. This movie features Dua Lipa as a deadly beauty and Henry Cavill as an attractive detective, with direction by Matthew Vaughn and is all set to premiere on February 2.

Written by Jason Fuchs, known for Wonder Woman, Argylle's script is taken from an upcoming book by Elly Conway, who is also the central character in the film, portrayed by Bryce Dallas Howard. Vaughn explained to Vanity Fair that the film depicts Conway as the J.K. Rowling of spy books - an agoraphobic, who enjoys spending time with her cat at home, writing. In the world of Argylle, the characters embodied by Cavill and Lipa are not real but from Conway's upcoming novel.

Interestingly, there seems to be no "real" Elly Conway. The web doesn't hold any images of Conway, and her biography on the Penguin Random House website is remarkably concise. Verification accounts under her name exist on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, but it's unclear who manages these profiles. 

In September 2022, The Hollywood Reporter stated that Apple purchased the rights to Argylle: A Novel for a massive $200 million, which is set to be published in January. An attempt by the magazine to get advance copies or communicate with Conway's reps was unfruitful. A search for Conway pointed only to a character on an Australian soap opera, Neighbours, which happened to be Swift's birthday.

Fans of Swift have started speculating that she may have penned Argylle under a pseudonym based on these facts. On October 22, TikTok users Jessica Lynn Slocum and Chloe (@chloeandpercy) began theorizing that Swift was behind Argylle, citing similarities with Swift’s love for argyle clothes, ownership of cats of Scottish breed and Swift carrying a cat carrier backpack like Elly Conway in the movie's trailer.

Despite no evidence to back that Swift wrote the book, fans have been encouraged by her history of dropping hints and using a pseudonym. Swift has previously used the name Nils Sjoberg to write Rihanna's hit "This is What You Came For" with ex-boyfriend Calvin Harris. Actor Joe Alwyn, who was dating Swift until this year, also co-wrote some of Swift's Folklore tracks under the name "William Bowery".

In spite of these conjectures, Vanity Fair’s sources affirm that Swift is not the author of Argylle. The official Argylle Twitter page appears to have noticed the conjecture and decided to engage by tweeting numerous lyrics from Swift's songs. Vanity Fair has reached out to Universal Pictures for a comment.