Margaret Qualley and Sabrina Carpenter’s dance card is now full. Deadline reports that both have joined Tom Holland’s long-in-the-works Fred Astaire biopic. Qualley will play Astaire’s older sister and first dance partner, Adele Astaire, with Carpenter as his most famous dance partner, actress Ginger Rogers.
Earlier this month, we learned that Qualley was a finalist for the role alongside Monica Barbaro. Chloe East was also in the mix. The role has gone to Qualley, who is having a busy year with How to Make a Killing, Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars and Rachel Morrison’s Love of Your Life. Qualley’s casting makes loads of sense given her ballet background.
Adapted by director Paul King (Paddington) and co-written with Steven Levenson, the Astaire film is based on Kathleen Riley’s biography The Astaires: Fred & Adele. It’s clear that Adele will be a major part of this story, but that Astaire’s time with Rogers will also be a focus. Astaire and Rogers made nine musical films together in the 1930s, including Swing Time and Shall We Dance.
Carpenter is a singer and stage performer who should fit right in. She’s starred in Disney’s Adventures in Babysitting, Clouds, and Tall Girl.
