Tom Holland, Sabrina Carpenter and Margaret Qualley are set to bring one of Hollywood’s most celebrated dance partnerships to the big screen in an upcoming Fred Astaire biopic directed by Paddington and Wonka filmmaker Paul King.
Holland will play Astaire, while Carpenter will portray Ginger Rogers, his legendary dance partner, and Qualley will play Adele Astaire, Fred’s older sister and his first major dance partner. The film is based on Kathleen Riley’s book The Astaires: Fred & Adele, with King and Steven Levenson writing the screenplay.
Fred Astaire was an American dancer, actor, singer and choreographer whose career spanned 76 years across stage, film and television. He appeared in 31 musical films and became particularly famous for his partnership with Ginger Rogers, with the pair starring together in films including Top Hat, The Gay Divorcee and Swing Time.
But the new film is expected to look beyond the familiar Astaire-Rogers partnership. It will also explore Fred and Adele’s early career together, from their childhood performances to their success on Broadway and London’s West End before Fred became one of cinema’s defining musical stars. Adele later retired from performing, while Fred continued into Hollywood.
The casting also brings Holland back to his dancing roots. Before becoming internationally known as Spider-Man, he played Billy Elliot on London’s West End from 2008 to 2010. Holland has said he wants to perform Astaire’s dance sequences himself, with the ambition of filming them in single takes rather than relying on dance doubles.
The film does not yet have an official title or release date, with production expected to begin in early 2027. Astaire’s family is also involved, with his daughter Ava Astaire McKenzie supporting the project and his grandson Tyler McKenzie serving as a consultant and co-producer.