Carpenter to Play Ginger Rogers in Astaire Biopic — SkimNews
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- Sabrina Carpenter will play Ginger Rogers opposite Tom Holland in Paul King's still-untitled Fred Astaire biopic, marking a return to acting for the singer — she has not had a film credit since 2022.
- Margaret Qualley is cast as Adele Astaire, Fred's sister and original stage dance partner — whose work, per King, has been "lost to history" since no footage of her dancing survives.
- Paul King, announcing the casting Friday, framed the project around the siblings' legacy rather than Fred's Hollywood career, calling it "a cinematic challenge" he couldn't imagine without his three leads.
- The biopic has been in development for over five years and is based on Kathleen Riley's biography "The Astaires: Fred & Adele," with approval from Fred Astaire's estate.
- Ava Astaire McKenzie, Fred's daughter, endorsed the project in a statement, saying the story of the siblings' partnership "both on and off the stage" is "in the best care."
Why it matters: The casting reframes a Fred Astaire biopic around Fred's sister Adele — whose pioneering stage career has been lost to history because no footage of her dancing survives. For Carpenter, the role marks a return to film acting after a four-year absence, and the Astaire estate's endorsement gives the five-year-in-development project its public green light.
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