Two biopics about legendary dancer Fred Astaire are on the way, and here are the details of the upcoming movies.
Billy Elliot may well be one of the most beloved British films of the last few decades, and its legacy is still being felt today. That’s because it’s reported that not one but two Fred Astaire biopics are on the way and, quite by chance, they are both set to star former Billy Elliots.
First up, we have Spiderman himself, Tom Holland, who will star in a film directed by Paddington’s Paul King, working from a screenplay he co-wrote with Billy Elliot scribe Lee Hall (Holland made his professional debut playing Billy onstage from 2008 to 2010), who themselves rewrote the original script by Noah Pink.
It isn’t yet clear which period of Astaire’s life it will cover, but given King’s wonderful direction of sequences like Hugh Grant’s dance in Paddington 2, we have high hopes.
Secondly, Jamie Bell, who of course played Billy onscreen in Stephen Daldry’s classic film version, will star alongside Margaret Qualley as Ginger Rogers, in a film that is set to explore their complex relationship both onscreen and off. Jonathan Entwistle, who directed popular Channel 4 series The End of the F***ing World, will direct from a screenplay by Arash Amel.
Both films are in pre-production, so it will be a race to the finish to see which one hits cinemas first.
