No, Taylor Swift didn't secretly write Argylle, Matthew Vaughn says
A rumour has been circulating in recent weeks that the pop superstar was behind the upcoming spy thriller.
In recent months, a rumour has been circulating online that the source novel for Matthew Vaughn's upcoming spy thriller Argylle was secretly written by an unexpected star: Taylor Swift.
The theory first emerged when it was discovered there was scant evidence of the existence of first-time novelist Elly Conway – on whose unreleased book the film is supposedly based – and that her publicist and talent agent were seemingly uncontactable.
Many Swift fans then pointed out a few clues that they believed linked the pop superstar to the project, including a resemblance between a cat seen in the film's trailer and Swift's own pet, but Vaughn has now assured cinemagoers that there is no truth to the claims.
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"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!'" he explained to Rolling Stone.
"And I’m looking at her going, 'What are you talking about Taylor Swift wrote the book? She didn’t write the book!'"
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Interestingly, there is also a main character called Elly Conway in the film itself, with Bryce Dallas Howard taking on that role.
In the film's synopsis, she is described as an "introverted spy novelist who seldom leaves her home", but who "is drawn into the real world of espionage when the plots of her books get a little too close to the activities of a sinister underground syndicate."
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But Vaughan went on to explain that, as well as being a character in his movie, there very much is a real author who has written a real Argylle novel – which he called "a really good book".
He continued: "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 centre, 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."
The cast for Argylle is incredibly star-studded, with Howard joined in the ensemble by a host of A-listers including Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, Bryan Cranston, Dua Lipa and Samuel L Jackson.
Argylle is released in UK cinemas on Friday 2nd February 2024. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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