On Friday, Feb. 2, “Argylle,” came out in theaters. Starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell and Henry Cavil, this action-turned-comedy film features a spy novelist whose book series, “Argylle,” is a little too similar to real-life classified espionage. Elly Conway is saved from being kidnapped by Aiden, a spy working for the “good side.”
This movie was packed with plot twists that, once you think you have figured out, switch up on you to reveal shocking information. “Argylle” was initially advertised as an action movie but was actually a comedy with a couple of good action scenes. The over-the-top plot twists and fighting scenes accompanied by ridiculous music and inaccurate combat styles bring an overall humorous tone to the movie.
“Argylle” is based on a book; however, the book’s creation and authenticity are debated. The name printed on the cover of “Argylle” is Elly Conway, which is the same name as the author in the movie. Conway’s biography on Penguin, one of the most reputable and renowned publishing companies in the world, is suspiciously short and lacking information. Conway was “born and raised and upstate New York” and she wrote “Argylle” while “working as a waitress in a late-night diner.” She doesn’t even have a biography or profile picture on Goodreads, a website with millions of users for book-lovers, which is unusual.
Despite her biography, fans are still suspicious of the true creation of the book. Some speculate that the book was written by J.K. Rowling because she has a history of writing under a pen name when she wrote the “Cormoran Strike Series” as Robert Galbraith. Other fans suspect that the book was written by singer Taylor Swift, though this theory has been refuted on Conway’s Twitter account—which is also up for debate. The Twitter account has been inactive since Nov. 3, 2023. Shouldn’t she be promoting both her novel and the movie inspired by it?
Another theory is that the book was written by AI. Conceivably, the screenplay, which was written by Jason Fuchs, was turned into a full novel by AI. However, I think the most plausible theory is that Elly Conway is actually Matthew Vaughn, who directed the movie.
Now, a brief timeline: Vaughn first announced the production of “Argylle” in June of 2021 and that it would be based on an unpublished thriller by Conway. The book was published three years later on Jan. 4, 2023. The movie was suspiciously released only one month later, on Feb. 2, 2024.
Six years ago, in 2018, Vaughn was replaced as the director of “I Am Pilgrim” by James Gray for unexplained reasons. “I Am Pilgrim” was based on a book by Terry Hayes, which draws striking similarities to “Argylle.” Both novels feature a former agent who writes a book based on their experiences and then are pulled back into their former lives with their respective agencies.
Some speculate that after Vaughn was removed from the production of “I Am Pilgrim,” he still wanted to create a similar movie, so he asked Hayes to write an accompanying novel to the idea he already had, which would later become “Argylle.” Hayes asked if Tammy Cohen, a freelance journalist and psychological thriller writer, would co-write “Argylle” with him.
The day before the “Argylle” was released to the big screen, a post on Elly Conway’s Instagram account featured a photo of Hayes’ novel, “I Am Pilgrim.” The caption reads: “Going back to read Terry Hayes’ debut novel, so I’m fully booked for tonight,” and fans rave in the comments about how they know that Elly Conway is really Hayes and Cohen and that the post comes off as cruel and narcissistic.
Whoever Elly Conway really is, it’s abundantly clear that she is not a real person, though her true identity remains a mystery.
