Sabrina Carpenter joins Tom Holland as Ginger Rogers in Fred Astaire film

Sabrina Carpenter is heading back to the big screen as Ginger Rogers, joining Tom Holland and Margaret Qualley in Sony’s long-developed film about legendary dancer and Hollywood star Fred Astaire.

Sabrina will portray Ginger, Fred’s celebrated Hollywood dance partner, while Margaret has been cast as Adele Astaire, his older sister and original dance partner. Tom will play Fred, bringing together three major names as the project moves forward. 

The film is being directed by Paul King, whose credits include Paddington, Paddington 2 and Wonka. Paul has written the screenplay with Steven Levenson, based on Kathleen Riley’s biography The Astaires: Fred & Adele. 

Rather than concentrating entirely on Fred’s later Hollywood career, the story will explore the partnership that first made him famous. Fred and Adele became major performers together on Broadway and in London’s West End before Adele retired and Fred went on to establish his celebrated film career.

Margaret therefore has a particularly significant role in the story. No surviving film footage of Adele dancing is known to exist, leaving the production with the challenge of recreating a stage career that was hugely successful during its time but cannot now be watched. 

Sabrina enters the story as the woman who would become Fred’s most famous screen partner. Fred and Ginger appeared together in films including Top Hat, Swing Time and Shall We Dance, creating one of Hollywood musical cinema’s most enduring partnerships.

The film also takes Tom back to his dancing roots. Long before becoming Spider-Man, he performed in the West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical, and he has previously spoken about wanting to perform the dancing himself in the Fred Astaire film.

Fred’s daughter Ava Astaire McKenzie is supporting the project, while her son Tyler McKenzie is involved as a consultant and co-producer. Tom is also producing the film through Billy17. 

Sony has not yet announced an official title or UK cinema release date, but the arrival of Sabrina and Margaret alongside Tom gives the long-developing project its three central performers.