Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Have you seen some stuff about Taylor Swift being involved with the upcoming movie Argylle, based on the book, and all kinds of conspiracies? And you’re very confused about that whole thing? Don’t worry. We’re here to help.
That’s right, there’s a weird, kind of fascinating conspiracy theory involving Taylor Swift and Argylle, with fans — as Swifities have done many times — diving in deep and finding proof that maybe she secretly wrote a book.
Here’s a breakdown of the whole thing as we get closer to the movie premiering:
What is Argylle?
It’s a 2024 novel written by Elly Conway — a spy thriller about an agent who has to go on a mission to save the world.
The movie based on the book that’s coming out in February is all about Conway, the author of spy novels, accidentally getting involved in real espionage:
OK. Then what does that have to do with Taylor Swift?
[Deep breath]. Strap in.
Elly Conway might be a pseudonym, which isn’t too out of the ordinary for novelists. But in today’s world of social media saturation, Conway is a total mystery. Her Penguin Random House [Full disclosure: My wife works for the publishing company] bio 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.”
Yet Apple bought the book’s movie rights for $200 million before it was published. Seems like a lot of money for a first-time novel from a mysterious author.
There’s also this from The Hollywood Reporter:
Efforts by THR to interview Conway, or even learn more details about her, have proven fruitless. Communication with a publicist for Ballantine Books, the imprint publishing Argylle, went dead after the conversation turned to questions about the author.
So, uh, people think Swift is Elly Conway.
What? Why? What's the proof?
[Puts on tin foil hat, takes another deep breath.] For one, the plot of the movie includes a cat. And we know Taylor Swift loves her cats. What’s more: The poster for the movie might look familiar, given that Swift carried her cat Olivia Benson — a Scottish Fold, just like the one in the movie — in a similar backpack:
Dolby poster for Matthew Vaughn's film #Argylle. pic.twitter.com/4CkDkwmKQv
— Movie Hive (@movie_hiv) January 11, 2024
The director of "Argylle" has shot down the Swifties' conspiracy theory that Taylor Swift is the author of the book upon which the film is based, though he admits she *is* responsible for the Scottish Fold cat being in the movie https://t.co/1fKxXTucFc
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) January 17, 2024
We know Swift likes argyle (the pattern). We know there was a redheaded writer in Swift’s All Too Well short film and there’s a redheaded writer in Argylle played by Bryce Dallas Howard. We know that Conway’s first Instagram post dropped on December 13, 2022. That would be … Swift’s birthday.
It goes on from there.
WHOA. Has she said anything about that?
No, but Argylle director Matthew Vaughn weighed in, via Rolling Stone:
“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!’” recalls Vaughn. “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. And there is an Elly Conway who wrote the book, but it’s not Taylor Swift,” he maintains. “And I say that because I imagine Taylor Swift has a load of people trying to jump on her bandwagon left, right, and center, and 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.”
I won't believe it until I hear it from Taylor herself.
Fine! Go ask her yourself. I’m sure she’ll answer.
