In July of 2021, the announcement was made that director Matthew Vaughn would be adapting an upcoming spy novel called Argylle into a movie. The author of the novel, Elly Conway, was a previously unknown figure at the time. Vaughn praised Conway’s writing, calling it the start of “the most incredible and original spy franchise since Ian Fleming’s [Bond] books of the ’50s.” Penguin Books created an author page for Conway that simply stated she lived “somewhere in the United States.”
As the movie began to take shape, some fans speculated that Elly Conway might be a pen name for singer Taylor Swift. Vaughn dismissed this theory but did confirm that Conway was a real person. In the movie version, Conway is played by Bryce Dallas Howard.
The plot of Argylle involves a writer named Conway struggling with the ending of her latest book of the same name. On a train journey to visit her mother, Conway meets an undercover spy named Aidan, played by Sam Rockwell. Aidan tells Conway that her books appear to be predicting the movements of a real-life spy syndicate, putting her in danger.
The movie features plenty of humorous plot twists and fight scenes set to unexpected pop songs, such as Leona Lewis’ cover of Snow Patrol’s “Run.” While Argylle has some pacing issues and a long runtime, it contains enough intrigue to launch the franchise that Vaughn has planned. The film stars Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Sam Rockwell and was released in theaters on February 2
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