Finally something is happening with Tom Holland’s long..awaited Fred Astaire biopic, as two new casting announcements have been made for the Sony Pictures production, with Sabrina Carpenter and Margaret Qualley set to take part. Carpenter will portray Ginger Rogers, the legendary Hollywood dancer and actor, while Quantley will be Astaire’s sister and first dance partner, Adele. Holland has been attached to this project sincesometime back.
The film, which is untitled, will be helmed by Paul King, the director of Paddington and Wonka. King, who will co-write the script with Steven Levenson, is adapting Kathleen Riley’s book The Astaires: Fred & Adele into a screenplay. Amy Pascal and Rachel O’Connor are producing, with Holland also producing for his Billy17 banner.
Tom Holland Takes on Fred Astaire
Holland was initially attached to the project in 2021, which means the film has been a developing project for him for quite some time. Given his background in dance, it is a fitting choice; Holland first played thetitle character in Billy Elliot the Musical on London’s West End.
The actor has already stated that he wishes to execute the dancing himself rather than use doubles. He has also been quoted saying that he would like to shoot the dance scenes in long takes, echoing Astaire’s own working approach. Holland has more recently revealed that he has recommenced dancing lessons in theatre for the part.
Astaire’s career included stage work on Broadway and in the West End of London as well as film musicals. He starred in over 30 film musicals and was well known for his on-screen partnership with Ginger Rogers.
Sabrina Carpenter Steps Into Ginger Rogers Role
Sabrina Carpenter will play Ginger Rogers, an acclaimed dance partner herself. Rogers starred alongside Fred Astaire in many vaunted movies, such as The Gay Divorcee, Top Hat and Swing Time. Their collaboration became inseparable from Hollywood’s golden age musicals.
The casting of Carpenter further complicates the project in that she has been becoming more and more prolific as a singer and actor, and the part will require her to inhabit the domain of the classic Hollywood dancer and to assume the image of one of the era’s most public figures.
The casting also coincides with a significant time in Carpenter’s music career, as the Grammy-winning artist keeps growing her profile in film and television.
Margaret Qualley Plays Adele Astaire
Margaret Qualley as Adele Astaire: Fred’s older sister and first dancing partner. Fred and Adele Astaire danced together in Broadway and London’s West End stages, before Fred pursued a celebrated career as one of Hollywood’s most iconic musical stars.
Adele’s inclusion in the new film is significant owing to her comparatively nameless career. Part of the filmmakers’ struggles included Truth is, since there is no footage of Adele dancing still in existence, there will be great difficulty finding a way for the new film to portray her work. Qualley, who has appeared in shows such as Maid and The Substance, is another familiar face among the core cast of the film.
