Argylle is coming to cinemas on Friday (2nd February) and we seriously can't wait to see Dua Lipa, Henry Cavill and Bryce Dallas Howard on our screens. But, um, is Elly Conway a real person and is the film based on a book?
The spy comedy follows a best-selling author, Elly, whose stories begin to mirror the actions of a real-life spy organisation, throwing her – and her adorable cat, Alfie – into a life of danger, violence and espionage.
So, Elly is the author in Argylle portrayed by Bryce, but rumours are flying around the Internet that Elly is, in fact, a real person. Yep, we're just as confused as you are so get ready for a deep dive because here is everything you need to know.
Is Argylle based on a book?
Argylle is based on a spy book of the same name which is supposedly written by a real-life author named Elly Conway. The book, which follows the adventures of agent Argylle, was released in January.
Book publisher Penguin also have an author bio for Elly on their site. "Elly Conway was born and raised in upstate New York," they wrote. "She wrote her first novel about Agent Argylle while working as a waitress in a late-night diner."
Is Elly Conway a real person?
Elly has elusive profiles on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram, where she wrote in one post, "How do you fluster an introvert? Publish her first novel, have Matthew Vaughn buy the movie rights, then tell her she has to start using social media for "visibility.""
So, from the above, we're understanding that director Matthew Vaughn (who is married to Claudia Schiffer, BTW!) bought the rights to Elly's book and made a film about her. Hm, it seems a bit far-fetched.
Even more far-fetched is some people thinking that Elly is none other than Taylor Swift, due to their shared love for British shorthair cats and Taylor's red hair in the end of the 'All Too Well' music video, which resembles Elly's hair in the film. That theory, however, has been debunked.
Also, Matthew and Argylle stars Bryan Cranston and Bryce have both claimed to have met Elly, with Bryan telling Digital Spy, "We have [met her], yes. Can't talk about it," and Bryce adding, "If I told you, I'd have to kill you. We'd have to literally kill you."
Yep, we're still confused. The Washington Post speculate that Elly Conway is, in fact, British thriller writer Tammy Cohen due to Robert Massey, an astronomer who was written in the acknowledgments for Argylle, claiming that Tammy contacted him for a spy novel.
So, is Elly Conway actually Tammy Cohen? Taylor Swift? A real person? We'll leave that answer up to you.
Argylle is in cinemas and on Apple TV+ from 2nd February.
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Furvah Shah is Cosmopolitan UK’s junior entertainment and lifestyle writer. She covers everything from TV and films to music and books, plus lots of celebrity news. Furvah has previously written for , BBC, and and she is super passionate about highlighting diverse talent and projects, having interviewed the likes of Halle Bailey, India Amarteifio, Iman Vellani and more. She's been interviewed for Times Radio and BBC Asian Network, graduated with a First in BA Media and Communications from Goldsmiths University and is an NCTJ-qualified journalist. In her free time, you can find her at an arts or culture event, eating Middle Eastern or Asian food, searching for modest fashion inspiration on Pinterest, binge-watching a Netflix series or cuddling with her cat. You can follow Furvah on , , and .
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