Before Tom Holland was a big movie star, swinging from walls in a Spider-Man suit for Marvel, he was known for his fancy footwork in a stage production of Billy Elliot. And he’ll need to show off some of those moves again, as he’s set to play the light-footed actor Fred Astaire in a biopic for Sony.
Holland confirmed to Associated Press his role as Fred Astaire in an upcoming biopic that Sony’s Amy Pascal will produce. The film has been rumored ever since a recent GQ story brought it to attention.
“I am playing Fred Astaire, yeah. The script came in a week ago,” Holland said. “I haven’t read it yet; they haven’t given it to me. I know Amy Pascal has the script. She FaceTimed me earlier. I was in the bath [laughs]. And we had a lovely FaceTime, but I will be playing Fred Astaire.”
Fred Astaire is considered one of the greatest actors ever, of both the screen and stage. He’s especially known for his musical performances, many of which were alongside the great Ginger Rogers. My personal favorite of those is in the film Swing Time, which you can watch below.
It’s unclear what the angle is that this film will take. Astaire was intensely private, and wouldn’t allow depictions of his life on screen. That makes this film a pretty big deal, and you can bet Sony is going to do everything possible to make it a hit, and to possibly earn Holland some awards season love.
