Argylle director responds to rumours Taylor Swift secretly wrote film
Matthew Vaughn says even his own daughter was convinced by online fan theory
Argylle director Matthew Vaughn has denied that Taylor Swift is the mysterious author whose book inspired his new spy thriller.
The forthcoming Apple TV+ film, which stars Henry Cavill as the titular spy, is based on a manuscript written by pseudonymous author āElly Conwayā. Elly Conway is also the name of the filmās protagonist, played by Bryce Dallas Howard.
The film rights to the manuscript were apparently bought in a $200 million deal before it was adapted by screenwriter Jason Fuchs.
Because of the mystery surrounding Conwayās real identity, many Taylor Swift fans online became convinced that the singer had written the book. They pointed to clues including Swiftās penchant for argyle sweaters, and the filmās inclusion of a Scottish Fold cat. Swift owns two Scottish Folds named Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson.
However, in a new interview with Rolling Stone, Kingsman and Kick Ass director Vaughn shot the rumour down.
āIām not a big internet guy, and it was actually my daughter who came up to me ā this is the power of celebrity and the internet ā and said, āYou never told me Taylor wrote the book!āā said Vaughn. āAnd Iām looking at her going, āWhat are you talking about Taylor Swift wrote the book? She didnāt write the book!ā And I was laughing because I was like, āItās not true! She didnāt write the book!ā But my daughter was convinced of it.ā
āThere is a real bookā¦ and itās a really good book,ā he continued. āAnd there is an Elly Conway who wrote the book, but itās 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 center, and I donāt want to be a part of that club. I did read the conspiracies and I was like, wow, they donāt leave a stone unturned! But itās not Taylor Swift. She definitely didnāt write the book.ā
Vaughn did admit that Swift had unintentionally inspired the filmās feline star. The cat featured in Argylle is Vaughnās own cat, which his supermodel wife Claudia Schiffer was convinced to welcome into their family by their daughters after watching Swiftās documentary Miss Americana.
āIronically, what she is responsible for is the Scottish Fold,ā said Vaughn. āI got home one day, it was Christmas, and I was like, āWhat the f*** is that noise?ā And Iām running around the house and I hear a noise, and the kids had seen a Taylor Swift documentary and there was a Scottish Fold in that, and theyād persuaded my wife, Claudia, to get them the kitten for Christmas. It was bought without my permission and hidden from me.ā
Vaughnās new film also stars Sam Rockwell, Ariana DeBose, John Cena, Bryan Cranston, Samuel L. Jackson, Dua Lipa, and Catherine OāHara.
Argylle will arrive in cinemas on 2 February.
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