Margaret Qualley and Sabrina Carpenter have joined Tom Holland in the upcoming Fred Astaire biopic, with Holland set to play the legendary dancer and actor. Paul King is directing the film, which will also explore Astaire’s professional partnership with his sister Adele Astaire.
Tom Holland’s next major acting project is taking shape, with Margaret Qualley and Sabrina Carpenter joining the upcoming Fred Astaire biopic.
Holland is attached to portray Fred Astaire, while Qualley will play his sister and early dance partner Adele Astaire. Carpenter has been cast as Ginger Rogers, the celebrated performer who became Astaire’s most famous screen dance partner.
The film is being directed by Paul King, best known for Paddington and Wonka. The project has been in development for several years, with Holland first publicly discussing his involvement in 2021.
Margaret Qualley to play Adele Astaire
Qualley will portray Adele Astaire, who performed with Fred during the siblings’ early career on Broadway and in London’s West End.
The brother-and-sister partnership was an important chapter in Fred Astaire’s rise as a performer. Before his Hollywood career, Astaire established himself on stage alongside Adele, with their act becoming a major attraction in musical theatre.
The upcoming film is expected to place particular emphasis on Adele’s contribution to their early success.
Director Paul King has highlighted the challenge of bringing Adele’s performance legacy to the screen. According to the supplied announcement, no surviving footage exists of Adele dancing, making the reconstruction of her work especially dependent on historical records and the creative team’s interpretation.
Sabrina Carpenter will portray Ginger Rogers
Sabrina Carpenter will take on the role of Ginger Rogers, whose partnership with Astaire became one of the defining dance collaborations of classic Hollywood.
Astaire and Rogers appeared together in a series of films that helped establish their enduring reputation as a screen dance team.
For Carpenter, the project marks another significant film role following her work across music, television and film.
The singer and actor has built a major career in music while also appearing in projects including Work It, The Hate U Give and The Short History of the Long Road.
Tom Holland returns to his dancing roots
Holland’s casting has an additional connection to Astaire’s story because the actor began his professional career as a dancer.
He rose to prominence on London’s West End in Billy Elliot the Musical, playing the title character between 2008 and 2010. The production required extensive dance and stage performance work.
That background makes the physical demands of portraying Astaire particularly relevant to the project.
Holland subsequently became internationally known for playing Peter Parker/Spider-Man, while also appearing in films outside the superhero franchise.
The Astaire project gives him an opportunity to return to the performance discipline that helped launch his career.
Paul King directs the Fred Astaire film
Paul King is directing the untitled film, with Steven Levenson and King credited with writing the screenplay.
The story is based on Kathleen Riley’s book The Astaires: Fred & Adele. Riley is also involved with the production as a script and story consultant.
The producing team includes Amy Pascal and Rachel O’Connor for Pascal Pictures, Ben Holden and Josh Hyams for Lightbulb Pictures, and Holland for Billy17.
Harry Holland and Will South are among the executive producers representing Billy17, alongside representatives from Altitude Films and other members of the production team.
The project also has the support of Ava Astaire McKenzie, Fred Astaire’s daughter. Her son, Tyler McKenzie, is involved as a consultant and co-producer.
The story goes beyond Fred Astaire’s Hollywood career
While Astaire became one of the defining stars of American cinema, the new film is also positioned as a story about his relationship with Adele and their years as a stage partnership.
Fred and Adele Astaire achieved prominence before Fred’s Hollywood career, performing together in major theatrical productions in both the United States and Britain.
Their professional relationship provides the film with a narrative that begins before Astaire became synonymous with Hollywood musicals and his collaborations with Ginger Rogers.
That broader focus could give audiences a look at a lesser-known part of the Astaire story, particularly Adele’s contribution to the siblings’ success.
Margaret Qualley’s career continues to expand
Qualley has built a diverse screen career since making her acting debut in HBO’s The Leftovers.
Her credits include Fosse/Verdon, Maid, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Poor Things, Kinds of Kindness and Drive-Away Dolls.
Her performance in The Substance earned her a Golden Globe nomination, while the film itself became a major awards-season title.
She most recently appeared in The Dog Stars, alongside Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin and Guy Pearce.
Playing Adele Astaire will add another historical figure to Qualley’s growing list of distinctive screen roles.
Sabrina Carpenter adds a major acting role alongside her music career
Carpenter has continued to expand her career beyond music.
The Grammy-winning performer has combined recording and touring with film and television appearances. Her previous acting credits include Work It, The Hate U Give and The Short History of the Long Road.
She has also received major industry recognition for her work as a performer and executive producer.
Her casting as Ginger Rogers places her alongside Holland in a story centered on one of Hollywood’s most recognizable dance partnerships.
What we know about the Fred Astaire biopic
At this stage, the project has been announced with its principal cast and creative team, but several production details remain to be confirmed.
Confirmed announced details include:
- Tom Holland: Fred Astaire
- Margaret Qualley: Adele Astaire
- Sabrina Carpenter: Ginger Rogers
- Director: Paul King
- Writers: Paul King and Steven Levenson
- Source material: The Astaires: Fred & Adele by Kathleen Riley
- Producers: Amy Pascal, Rachel O’Connor, Ben Holden, Josh Hyams and Tom Holland, among others
- Ava Astaire McKenzie: Supporting the project
- Tyler McKenzie: Consultant and co-producer
A title, release date and additional production information should be treated as unconfirmed unless announced by the filmmakers or distributor.
A new generation takes on Hollywood dance legends
The combination of Holland, Qualley and Carpenter gives the project three performers with backgrounds spanning film, television, music and stage performance.
For Holland, the role connects directly with his early experience as a West End dancer. Qualley will explore the story of a performer whose contribution to the Astaire legacy has received less screen attention, while Carpenter will portray the actress and dancer whose partnership with Fred became part of Hollywood history.
With Paul King directing and the screenplay drawing from Kathleen Riley’s biography, the film is being positioned around both the Astaire siblings’ early stage career and Fred Astaire’s eventual rise to cinematic fame.
