Sabrina Carpenter to play Ginger Rogers in Fred Astaire biopic
Sabrina Carpenter will join Tom Holland and Margaret Qualley in the upcoming Fred Astaire biopic.
Sabrina Carpenter has joined the cast of the upcoming Fred Astaire biopic.
The 27-year-old popstar will join The Odyssey actor Tom Holland in the movie, taking on the role of Astaire’s longtime onscreen dance partner Ginger Rogers, according to Deadline.
Astaire and Rogers first worked together in 1933’s Flying Down to Rio. They made nine films together between 1933 and 1939, before reuniting in 1949 for The Barkleys of Broadway.
Holland, 30, will take on the role of Hollywood legend Fred Astaire, while Margaret Qualley, 31, has been cast as Adele Astaire, Fred’s sister and his first major dance partner.
Tom – who starred as Billy Elliot in the London West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical from 2008 to 2010 – recently shared how he is preparing to play the legendary dancer and actor Astaire.
During an appearance on Good Morning America, Tom said: "I now feel like I’m starting this chapter where I can’t quite get away with being a teenager anymore.
"For me, what I love about my job is the challenges. We have Fred Astaire next, which is what we’re planning on doing. And as soon as I finish with these tours, I’m diving back into the dance studio."
Tom actually embarked on his first dance classes recently, and the actor has admitted to having mixed feelings about the experience.
Tom - who is married to fellow Hollywood star Zendaya - said: "I did my first few rehearsals recently, and it both filled me with excitement and absolute dread because I’ve got so much work to do to try and do Fred proud."
Tom is determined to shoot the biopic without relying on a dance double.
He said: "I have a desire to use no doubles, to do all of the dancing, to shoot those dances in one shot – how he would have done it."
The untitled Astaire film will be directed by Paddington and Wonka director Paul King.
It is based on the book The Astaires: Fred Adele by Kathleen Riley, with a script from Steven Levenson.
Amy Pascal and Rachel O’Connor will produce.
Ava Astaire McKenzie, Astaire’s daughter, previously said in a statement to Variety: “I’m delighted to support this [movie] to celebrate the extraordinary careers and enduring legacy of my father and aunt, who were among the biggest musical stars of their era. 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.”
