Entertainment briefing

Margaret Qualley and Sabrina Carpenter join Tom Holland in Sony's Fred Astaire biopic

Margaret Qualley will play Adele Astaire and Sabrina Carpenter will play Ginger Rogers opposite Tom Holland's Fred Astaire in Sony's untitled biopic from 'Paddington' director Paul King. Production is reportedly set to begin in early 2027.

By US Brief desk · Updated 2026-09-26T17:43:00-07:00

Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire dancing in a 1935 publicity still for 'Top Hat' (file photo)

Editor’s note: Casting and creative details follow Deadline (Justin Kroll and Dessi Gomez, Sep 25, 2026), with Variety and Polygon. Sony has not announced a title or release date; the early-2027 production start is as reported by the trades. Box office figures for Holland's recent films are as reported in that coverage. The image is a 1935 public-domain RKO publicity still of the real Astaire and Rogers, not the new cast.

Sony's Fred Astaire movie has found its dance partners. Margaret Qualley will play Adele Astaire, Fred's sister and first stage partner, and pop star Sabrina Carpenter will play Ginger Rogers, opposite Tom Holland as Astaire, Deadline reported.

The project: Paul King, the director of 'Paddington 2' and 'Wonka', is directing from a script he wrote with Steven Levenson, the Tony-winning writer of 'Dear Evan Hansen'. The film is based on Kathleen Riley's book 'The Astaires: Fred & Adele', which follows the siblings' vaudeville and Broadway partnership before Fred's Hollywood career. Amy Pascal and Rachel O'Connor of Pascal Pictures produce with Lightbulb and Holland's Billy17. Astaire's daughter, Ava Astaire McKenzie, supports the project, according to the reports.

Why the casting stands out: Carpenter is best known as a chart-topping singer and has several VMA nominations this year; playing Rogers means matching one of film's most famous dance partnerships. King has said that no film footage of Adele Astaire dancing is known to survive, leaving the filmmakers to reconstruct the act that made the siblings stars in the 1920s.

Holland's run: The film comes after a strong stretch for Holland, whose 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' passed $2 billion worldwide and whose role in Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' was part of a $1.72 billion global hit, according to the trade coverage.

Why it matters: Big-budget original musicals and music biopics are a risk for studios, but Sony is pairing a proven director with two young stars who have large fan bases, and on a true story that begins on the stage.

Uncertainty: Sony has not announced a title or release date, and the early-2027 production start is reported rather than officially dated. Casting for other roles has not been announced.

What's next: Watch for the rest of the cast, choreographer and composer announcements, and a release date from Sony.

Method note: US Brief digests are AI-assisted from the US Brief desk. We synthesize reputable reporting with cited sources; we do not invent quotes, figures, or forecasts.

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Margaret Qualley and Sabrina Carpenter join Tom Holland in Sony's Fred Astaire biopic

Margaret Qualley will play Adele Astaire and Sabrina Carpenter will play Ginger Rogers opposite Tom Holland's Fred Astaire in Sony's untitled biopic from 'Paddington' director Paul King. Production is reportedly set to begin in early 2027.

By US Brief desk · Updated 2026-09-26T17:43:00-07:00

AI-assisted digests from the US Brief desk. Synthesizes reputable reporting with cited sources; not a wire service. Corrections welcomed.

Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire dancing in a 1935 publicity still for 'Top Hat' (file photo)

Sony's Fred Astaire movie has found its dance partners. Margaret Qualley will play Adele Astaire, Fred's sister and first stage partner, and pop star Sabrina Carpenter will play Ginger Rogers, opposite Tom Holland as Astaire, Deadline reported.

The project: Paul King, the director of 'Paddington 2' and 'Wonka', is directing from a script he wrote with Steven Levenson, the Tony-winning writer of 'Dear Evan Hansen'. The film is based on Kathleen Riley's book 'The Astaires: Fred & Adele', which follows the siblings' vaudeville and Broadway partnership before Fred's Hollywood career. Amy Pascal and Rachel O'Connor of Pascal Pictures produce with Lightbulb and Holland's Billy17. Astaire's daughter, Ava Astaire McKenzie, supports the project, according to the reports.

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