Who Is Elly Conway? All About the Mysterious “Argylle” Author

There has been speculation surrounding the author of the book on which Bryce Dallas Howard's new spy thriller movie is based, with some fans linking her to Taylor Swift

<p>APPLE TV+/UNIVERSAL PICTURES; UNIVERSAL PICTURES/YOUTUBE</p>

APPLE TV+/UNIVERSAL PICTURES; UNIVERSAL PICTURES/YOUTUBE

People are buzzing about the upcoming adaptation of Argylle.

First announced in June 2021, the film follows an introverted spy novelist (played by Bryce Dallas Howard) who finds herself thrown into the real world of espionage.

While the movie features a star-studded cast and creative team, it’s the book’s mysterious author, Elly Conway, that really has people talking.

Namely, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding the actual identity of Conway. Most recently, fans have run wild with theories that the author is somehow connected to singer Taylor Swift due to some Easter egg-like cat references.

Ahead, here are all the details we know about the mysterious author behind Argylle.

She’s from New York

Per Conway’s biography on Penguin Random House, she was born and raised in upstate New York. However, no other details about her upbringing are mentioned on the website.

She previously worked as a waitress

The only other detail Conway’s biography page mentions is that she wrote the Argylle novel “while working as a waitress in a late-night diner.”

Argylle is her first novel

<p>Apple TV+/Universal Pictures</p>

Apple TV+/Universal Pictures

Argylle is already getting a ton of buzz, which is a huge feat considering it’s Conway’s very first novel. In fact, the book hasn’t even been released yet! In September 2022, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the book was originally slated for a Sept. 29 publication but was moved to March 30, 2023. According to Amazon, the book’s release date has been pushed again to Jan. 9, 2024.

She’s not active on social media

Though Conway has an Instagram account, she’s not active on it. She has no posts on the account and the only person she follows is her agent Eric Reid.

Her book is being turned into a star-studded movie

<p>Peter Mountain/Apple TV+</p>

Peter Mountain/Apple TV+

Plans to turn Argylle into a movie were first announced in June 2021. A month later, it was announced that Apple had bought the rights for an estimated $200 million, per Deadline.

Directed by Matthew Vaughn, the film centers around author Elly Conway (played by Bryce Dallas Howard), an introverted spy novelist who gets drawn to the real world of espionage. In addition to Howard, the film also stars Henry Cavill as the titular Argylle, Sam Rockwell as a spy named Aiden and Catherine O'Hara as Elly's mother. Other cast members include Bryan Cranston, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, John Cena, Samuel L. Jackson and more.

“When I read this early draft manuscript I felt it was the most incredible and original spy franchise since Ian Fleming’s books of the ‘50s,” Vaughn previously teased of the film’s plot when the project was announced in August 2021. “This is going to reinvent the spy genre.”

The film’s trailer was released by Universal Pictures in late September 2023 and is currently slated to hit theaters on Feb. 2, 2024, just a month after the book is expected to be released.

She has been connected to Taylor Swift

<p>Getty Images</p>

Getty Images

In early October 2023, fans went wild with theories that Conway was secretly Taylor Swift based on what fans thought could be Swift-related Easter eggs. Though those rumors aren't substantiated, Argylle does have some notable connections to Swift.

Namely, the book cover features a Scottish Fold cat which bears a striking resemblance to the singer’s cat Meredith Grey. Howard’s character also carries her cat around in a cat backpack similar to the one Swift donned in her Miss Americana documentary.

The cat featured in the film is famous in its own right, though: It is owned by director Vaughn and his wife Claudia Schiffer. The cat, named Chip, even has an Instagram account that has shared a few Swift-related posts, including one with Chip and Swift’s cat Olivia Benson photoshopped over Sophie Turner and Swift.

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