When Tom Holland promoted The Odyssey and the latest Spider-Man movie back to back, he was frequently asked what was next, given his hectic schedule. Tom sort of broke the news that the long-gestating Fred Astaire bio-pic would hopefully be next, given that he’s spent several years attached to it. Well, he was correct, they’ve finally put this project together. They have a script, they have a director, and now they’ve cast their Ginger Rogers and their Adele Astaire, Fred’s sister.
Margaret Qualley and Sabrina Carpenter have joined Tom Holland in the Spider-Man star’s next project: the untitled Fred Astaire biopic in which Holland will portray the iconic actor and dancer.
The development comes nearly five years after Holland first revealed he would be leading the project.
Qualley will star as Adele Astaire, and Carpenter will star as Ginger Rogers. Fred and Adele were major stars on Broadway and London’s West End before Fred Astaire went on to be one of cinema’s greatest stars with co-star and dance partner Rogers.
Paul King will direct the film. It is being produced by Amy Pascal and Rachel O’Connor on behalf of Pascal Pictures, Ben Holden and Josh Hyams on behalf of Lightbulb Pictures and Tom Holland on behalf of Billy17. Executive Producers are Harry Holland and Will South on behalf of Billy17, Will Clarke and Andy Mayson on behalf Altitude Films and Steven Levenson. Ava Astaire McKenzie lends her support to the project. Her son, Tyler McKenzie, serves as a consultant and co-producer.
I mean, as soon as they found a guy like Tom, with his dance background, this Astaire bio-pic should have been swiftly greenlit. It’s possible they wanted to wait until Tom got old enough to play a more mature Astaire though. And I love that Tom is coming in as a producer too. As for his costars… Margaret Qualley has a lengthy dance background. She had years of dance training, she was close to becoming a professional dancer, and she’s used her dance background in various projects as well (Fosse/Verdon, music videos and a memorable Kenzo commercial). Sabrina is, in my opinion, the wild card here. While Sabrina dances on stage and in her music videos, it’s not very high quality? Still, she seems to have enough of a dance background to know that she’ll have to train like hell to imitate Ginger Rogers, generally considered to be one of the best dancers ever on screen.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.
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- ELMONT, NEW YORK, USA – SEPTEMBER 11: Sabrina Carpenter wearing a vintage Bob Mackie dress from Tab Vintage arrives at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards held at UBS Arena on September 11, 2024 in Elmont, New York, United States.,Image: 907006196, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Sabrina Carpenter, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- ELMONT, NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK, USA – SEPTEMBER 07: American singer, songwriter, and actress Sabrina Carpenter, winner of the awards for best pop artist, best visual effects, best cinematography, best editing and best direction for ‘Manchild’ and best album for ‘Short n’ Sweet’ poses in the press room at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards held at UBS Arena on September 7, 2025 in Elmont, Nassau County, New York, United States.,Image: 1035324176, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Sabrina Carpenter, Credit line: Jorge Estrellado/Image Press Agency/Avalon
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- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – JULY 27: Tom Holland wearing custom Jacquemus, styled by Crystalle Cox arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Columbia Pictures’ ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on July 27, 2026 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1119475107, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no , Pictured: Tom Holland , Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
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- New York, NY – Celebrities attend in style the 2024 Time100 Next at Chelsea Piers in New York City. Pictured: Sabrina Carpenter BACKGRID USA 9 OCTOBER 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY Tom Holland and Zendaya were spotted holding hands as they headed to an event in New York City. Zendaya stunned in a chic black plunging dress with a thigh-high slit and pointed heels, while Tom kept his look classic in a navy crewneck sweater, light blue jeans, and black boots. The couple stayed close as they made their way through the city with security escorting them to the venue. Pictured: Tom Holland, Zendaya BACKGRID USA 16 JULY 2026 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Radio One Big Weekend at Stockwood Park. Featuring: Sabrina Carpenter Where: Luton, United Kingdom When: 27 May 2024 Credit: Mark Cavill/Cover Images
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- Vanity Fair Oscar Party held at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Featuring: Margaret Qualley Where: Beverly Hlls, California, United States When: 02 Mar 2025 Credit: Jennifer Bloc/Future Image/Cover Images **NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN GERMANY**
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- Fan event for the new movie ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ at UCI Luxe East Side Gallery on Uber Platz, Berlin Featuring: Tom Holland, Zendaya Where: Berlin, Berlin, Germany When: 22 Jun 2026 Credit: Nicole Kubelka/Future Image/Cover Images **NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN GERMANY**
Adele was Fred’s sister, not his wife.
my bad, fixed it
Sabrina starred in the Netflix dance movie Work and showed great physicality. I think the audition process was fairly long and I bet a lot of it came down to chemistry with Tom. Margaret beat out Monica Barbaro who is also a great actor/dancer.
I also think Sabrina can bring Ginger’s
wit and sass. Of all the things Ginger doesn’t get proper credit for, her comedic timing is up there.
Yes! I’m a huge Ginger Rogers fan, she was funny as well as a great dancer!
While all these performers are great, they are terribly miscast. But maybe people won’t care. There are probably very few of us who watch the old musicals.
I can kinda see Margaret as Fred’s sister. But Sabrina as Ginger Rogers is gonna be a stretch (although I don’t know much about her acting or dancing abilities). I wonder who they’ll cast as Fred’s favorite dance partner, and my personal favorite, Rita Hayworth. Or if she’ll even be in the movie at all.
Oh, Rita was a wonderful dancer! They’ll probably simplify the story and most of us know or have heard of Fred & Ginger movies, but Fred & Rita? Probably fewer folks.
Tom Holland is not miscast. He is perfect for this. As for Sabrina Carpenter as Ginger Rogers, I guess we’ll have to wait and see. GR was as good a dancer as Astaire. And of course, the old joke is that she did everything he did, only backwards and in heels. If you ever get a chance to watch any of their old movies, take it. The plots are cheesy and ridiculous but the musical numbers more than make up for lack of story.
What I remember most about Ginger Rogers though was her razor sharp wit. Sabrina will nail that angle at least.
Backwards and in heels indeed. The costuming/fashion of the time is what got her—having to wear such long dresses obscured the view of her legs and feet. People have to work hard to see her precise footwork yet Fred Astaire’s legs and feet are on full display in pants and shiny shoes.
I forget which movie it was in, but they once danced an entire number in roller skates. They were an incredible duo. 🤩
@Zantasia – On YouTube there is no shortage of Ginger dancing in pants or mid calve dresses with her fancy footwork on full display. She didn’t get equal recognition because she was a woman.
The astaire Roger’s films featured the best composers including george and ira gershwin. Irving Berlin Cole porter and Jerome kern
so I do watch old musicals, daily. but I know that Fred didnt want this so I will skip it.
I could see Tom Hiddleston as Astaire. There is a facial resemblance, and he is a FANTASTIC dancer!
I can see that! But the challenge would be casting a Ginger who isn’t dramatically shorter than him. Sabrina would be out.
I say this as a huge Hiddleston fan – I’m glad Holland got this role. Hiddleston is more athletic than skillfull and doesnt have the formal dance background that Holland does.
Alex Can, I’m guilty of watching the old Rogers/Astaire musicals. But I was not alive in that time period, I swear! Poor Rita Hayworth. She was raped and beaten by her father when she was a young teenager (12, 13?) while she was his partner in a dance act. Not sure how long that went on. I believe Orson Welles spoke of that, but am not sure. And the studios stripped her of her Hispanic heritage, and deliberately made her look like the beautiful, non-ethnic pin-up girl she became. Poor, lovely Rita.
Will the role of Phyllis astaire. His first wife. Be cast as well
I imagine so, they were married for over 20 years.
I wonder if the film will get into Astaire’s never-stated homosexuality? He had a 54 year relationship with his choreographer, Hermes Pan. In Astaire’s pairing with Ginger Rogers, Katherine Hepburn said Astaire gave Rogers class and Rogers gave Astaire sex (or sex appeal). Lucille Ball starred in an early film of theirs (as a blonde).
Fred Astaire still never had sex appeal for me. Amazing dancer and very dashing, just not sexy. Gene Kelly, now HE was sexy.
Same! Fred Astaire always looked like an old man to me, but Gene Kelly! Young, handsome, and sexy! I mean, I’ve watched all the Fred & Ginger movies & loved them, but Gene Kelly! Wowzers!
Lucille Ball didn’t really star early on with Fred Astaire, but she was a platinum blonde! She had bit parts in three Astaire Rogers movies very early in her career. The only one I’ve noticed her in is Roberta (1935), where she’s a model in the fashion show; she did support herself by working as a model in NYC. One of her first significant roles was in Stage Door (1937), which also starred Ginger Rogers. So many of the supporting cast of that movie were great, including Ball, and supposedly both Ball and Rogers helped hide the fact that Ann Miller was only about 14 at the time.
Come to think of it, have to agree that Fred Astaire never really moved me either! But he was just so charming, and so amazing to watch, that I never really questioned the women in his movies falling for him.
It makes perfect sense that Lucille Ball was in Astaire-Rogers movies since they were made at the old RKO studios where Ball was a contract player in the thirties. Later she bought RKO which became Desilu.
14!!! Ann Miller was only 14!!!!
In his career of over 60 years, Ginger Rodgers was in only 6 of them. Maybe he was gay, maybe he wasn’t – he was married twice and had 2 children – and maybe he wasn’t sexy. But what he was is a dancer, an innovator and the embodiment of style. And what people don’t think about now is his ability to interpret and deliver songs. His voice wasn’t great, but his timing and phrasing and interpretation could sell any song.
I’m hoping it’ll be good – love their old films!
Fred Astaire was famously against any biopic being done on his life, he even put it in his will. So I look down at anyone participating in this, as should anyone.
It’s all about money money money money and everybody involved has put that above what the man himself wanted. Let’s hope bad luck hits the production as a result, it’s what it deserves
That’s so sad if he even had it in writing. So disrespectful.
I didn’t know that. Yikes.
Let’s all just watch his films. For anyone not familiar, he was the human embodiment of Art Deco in the 1930s. I will not be explaining further.
ITA, I am the target market for this and I refuse to see it
Well, it says in the article that Fred’s daughter and grandson are involved in this. Maybe the daughter held out and then finally said yes to it. I’m sure the reasoning will come out closer to the debut of the movie.
If we’re talking about money, I’d say his widow allowing his image to be used in Dirt Devil commercials in the 1990’s was the low point. She also supposedly held up production of That’s Entertainment III over money demands. And meanwhile refused permission for the Kennedy Center to use clips in their celebration of Ginger Rogers (did they refuse to pay?). I wonder if that’s something he would have wanted.
It’s interesting about his daughter and grandson being involved. Maybe it has to do with Tom Holland being attached (and he certainly doesn’t need the money). It’s been 40 years since Astaire’s death, and 100+ years since the start of his career. He was such an amazing talent, so innovative, and so much a part of the early years of Broadway and golden age of musicals, maybe that part of his family felt it was time to celebrate him and introduce him to new generations. I guess we’ll see.
Lol that anyone thinks a famous celebrity can command from the grave that no movie be made of his life. He was a great artist! People want to celebrate that and expose his art to new generations. I don’t know his reasoning, but it’s not really up to him. Or shouldn’t be.
When I read the article, my first thought was, yay, at least they’re not using his image or his hologram again. I remember those commercials.
I’m a HUGE fan of the Astaires & Rogers…and when you take into account their off & onstage lives…
I think this is good casting…
Lucille ball had a brief scene in the film top hat as a florist shop worker. She also was in follow the fleet. In a bit part
Tessa, I’m thinking of Follow the Fleet. I noticed her right away and love that she was in that film–as a blonde!
Tessa, I never noticed Lucille in Top Hat as a floral worker, but I will re-watch just for that. Thanks!
I was running out of British cop series to stream so I think I’ll switch to Fred &. Ginger movies! I used to watch all of them on TV decades ago. I hope I can find b&w versions, I really dislike colorized movies.
I’m also a DEEP fan of Astaire’s & know about his unwillingness to have a biopic…but the Man danced in blackface in 1936 AND 1948…and by THEN THAT WAS OBSCENE 🤬…so yea…I don’t CARE about his wishes…AT ALL 💔