As Billie Eilish takes centre stage in Sarah Polley’s and Charli XCX’s big-screen domination continues with and an upcoming part in Dakota Johnson’s directorial debut, make way for another pop star-turned-Hollywood breakout: none other than Sabrina Carpenter, who, according to , will be joining Tom Holland in a brand new Fred Astaire biopic, as his fleet-footed dance partner, Ginger Rogers.
The two-time Grammy-winning showgirl certainly looks the part, and is signing on to a project which Holland first spoke about some five years ago. Alongside the pair, there’s also Margaret Qualley, as Adele Astaire, Fred’s older sister, who was a formidable dancer in her own right. As children, the siblings were part of a joint vaudeville act, which paved the way for their Broadway breakthroughs, though Adele retired before Fred went on to achieve superstardom. (Confusingly, Qualley was previously attached to another Fred Astaire biopic, and set to be playing Ginger herself, opposite Jamie Bell, who, like Holland, made his name starring in . However, this long-gestating project was eventually abandoned.)
Margaret Qualley.
Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images
While that retelling would have been more Fred and Ginger-centric, this one will foreground Adele’s story, too. The still-untitled film’s script, written by ’s Paul King (who will also be directing) and and Tick, Tick... Boom!’s Steven Levenson, is based on Kathleen Riley’s The Astaires: Fred & Adele, which chronicles the duo’s early show business partnership.
“I am thrilled and honoured to have been entrusted with telling the story of Fred Astaire and his original dance partner – his big sister Adele – to the big screen,” King said in a statement. “Fred left a timeless legacy of dance on film, most famously in his collaborations with Ginger Rogers, while Adele’s work has been lost to history; indeed, no footage of her dancing survives. The cinematic challenge of bringing to life these icons of the 20th century is one that I could not imagine without Tom Holland, Margaret Qualley and Sabrina Carpenter by my side.”
Meanwhile Ava Astaire McKenzie, Fred’s daughter with his first wife, Phyllis Livingston Potter, has voiced her approval of the project, and her son, Tyler McKenzie is serving as a consultant and co-producer. “I’m delighted to support this endeavour to celebrate the extraordinary careers and enduring legacy of my father and aunt, who were among the biggest musical stars of their era,” she added via press release. “With Kathleen Riley’s seminal biography as its foundation and the creative team in place, the story of their partnership both on and off the stage is in the best care. I know their legacy will be beautifully brought to life for a whole new generation.”
Now bring on the elaborate dance routines, extraordinary costumes and magical reconstruction of Golden Age Hollywood.