Sabrina Carpenter joins Tom Holland in Astaire biopic
Sabrina Carpenter will play Ginger Rogers opposite Tom Holland's Fred Astaire in an untitled biopic also starring Margaret Qualley as Adele Astaire, Deadline and Variety report. Paul King directs the Sony Pictures project from a script he co-wrote with Steven Levenson, based on Kathleen Riley's book The Astaires: Fred & Adele.
Key Takeaways
- Sabrina Carpenter is cast as Ginger Rogers in the untitled Fred Astaire biopic starring Tom Holland.
- Margaret Qualley will play Adele Astaire, Fred's sister and early stage partner.
- Paul King directs; the screenplay draws on Kathleen Riley's book The Astaires: Fred & Adele.
- Fred Astaire's daughter Ava Astaire McKenzie has publicly backed the project.
- Holland has been attached for nearly five years and plans to perform the dances himself.
Who is joining the Fred Astaire biopic cast?
According to Deadline, which first reported the casting, Margaret Qualley and Sabrina Carpenter have boarded the film alongside Holland. Variety later confirmed the roles: Qualley as Adele Astaire and Carpenter as Rogers.
Fred and Adele were major stars on Broadway and London's West End before Fred became one of cinema's defining dance stars opposite Rogers. King said Adele's work has been "lost to history," noting that no footage of her dancing survives.
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Why does Sabrina Carpenter's casting matter?
Carpenter, a two-time Grammy winner, expands her film profile with one of Old Hollywood's most famous on-screen partners. Pitchfork framed the news as her slipping into Rogers' shoes opposite Holland and Qualley in King's still-untitled film.
The pairing puts a major pop star opposite a box-office lead known for physical performance. Holland began as a West End dancer in Billy Elliot the Musical from 2008 to 2010, and Variety reports he has been rehearsing while teasing a return to the dance studio.
He has said he wants to use no doubles, do all the dancing, and shoot those dances in one shot — "how he would have done it."
Who is making the Astaire film, and is the family involved?
King most recently directed Wonka and the first two Paddington films. He co-wrote the script with Steven Levenson. Kathleen Riley serves as script and story consultant.
Producers include Amy Pascal and Rachel O'Connor for Pascal Pictures, Ben Holden and Josh Hyams for Lightbulb Pictures, and Holland for Billy17. Tyler McKenzie, Ava Astaire McKenzie's son, is a consultant and co-producer.
"I'm delighted to support this endeavor to celebrate the extraordinary careers and enduring legacy of my father and aunt," Astaire McKenzie said, adding that with Riley's biography as its foundation, the story of their partnership is "in the best care."
King called the cast essential to the challenge: he could not imagine bringing these 20th-century icons to life without Holland, Qualley, and Sabrina Carpenter by his side.