Tom Holland is currently making the rounds promoting next week’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and even before the tour is over, he’s talking up his next film. Five years ago, Holland became attached to lead a Fred Astaire biopic for Sony Pictures and Spider-Man producer Amy Pascal. According to Holland in a new interview with Good Morning America, it’s next on his list…
“We have Fred Astaire next, is what we’re planning on doing,” Holland said. “And as soon as I finish with these tours, I’m diving back into the dance studio…I did my first few rehearsals recently, and it both filled me with excitement and absolute dread because I’ve got so much work to do to try and do Fred proud.”
Part of doing Astaire proud means doing all of the complicated musical dance numbers the way the legendary actor would’ve done, without a body double and in a single shot…
“I have a desire to use no doubles, to do all of the dancing, to shoot those dances in one shot—how he would have done it,” Holland said.
Holland does have the background for it. It’s been a while, so we forget that Holland’s breakout was starring in Billy Elliot the Musical at the West End, which preceded his feature film debut in 2012’s The Impossible. Heck, if you saw his choreographed Lip Sync Battle performance, you already know he’s got moves that would make Astaire proud.
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.
Holland’s Fred Astaire movie will be directed by Paul King, best known for Paddington and Wonka. The screenplay is by Lee Hall, who not only wrote the Billy Elliot movie, but also co-wrote the stage play that Holland was part of.
