Tom Holland confirms Fred Astaire biopic is his next project – and there’s no dancing double
Strictly Come Spiderman
The name Tom Holland is often accompanied by the words “generation run” of late, having completed somewhat of a holy trinity with another Spiderman flick, Telemacus in Nolan’s seminal Odyssey, and marrying Zendaya. Whilst many actors may take a well earned break after such a busy period, Tom Holland is doing the opposite of slowing down – in fact, he’s already in training for his next project: a Fred Astaire biopic.
Holland confirmed he would be doing all the dancing himself for the upcoming biopic, which isn’t surprising given his previous roles like his first role as Billy Elliot in London's West End. He’s praised his early dance and acrobatics background, saying it ultimately helped him land the role of Spiderman. The combination of the two are sure to be useful training for the upcoming role.
The 30-year-old Brit is currently promoting both The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day which are being released within two weeks of each other, sort of like his own personal Barbenheimer. During his recent press rounds, Holland confirmed his next project is a film all abut the Hollywood star Fred Astaire on Good Morning America.
Fred Astaire is one of those names everyone knows, even if you were born after he died, and is synonymous with that glitzy Golden Age of Hollywood. He is considered not only one of the biggest stars of the era but the best dancer of all time. He starred in classics like Top Hat, often alongside fellow starlet Ginger Rodgers, as well as fan favourite flick Funny Face alongside Audrey Hepburn.
The upcoming film is set to be directed by Paul King, the visionary behind Wonka and Paddington which gives us an early indicator of the film's style.
Talking in the interview, Holland confirmed the film is in pre-production, saying “We have Fred Astaire next, which is what we’re planning on doing. As soon as I finish these tours I’m diving back into the dance studio,” he explained. “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.”
He also explicitly mentioned he didn’t want to rely on doubles, instead preferring to do everything himself. I have a desire to use no doubles,” he said. “To do all of the dancing, to shoot those dances in one shot – how [Astaire] would have done it.”
Given it’s Fred Astaire, expectations are pretty high for some spectacular dance scenes.
Currently, we don’t have any further word on casting, like for example who might be playing his partners Robyn Smith and Phyllis Potter. In fact, there's a lot we don't know yet about the project, but if it continues its trajectory of fantastic casting, we're in for a right treat. Can anyone else hear an Oscar calling?
Skip the search — follow Shortlist on Google News to get our best lists, news, features and reviews at the top of your feeds!
