Sabrina Carpenter, Margaret Qualley Join Tom Holland's Fred Astaire Biopic

Tom Holland's much-delayed Fred Astaire biopic is finally showing signs of life.

Margaret Qualley and Sabrina Carpenter have signed on to star alongside Holland, which is notable given that Holland first said he'd lead this thing almost five years ago.

Qualley will play Adele Astaire, Fred's older sister and original dance partner, with whom he headlined on Broadway and in London's West End before Hollywood came calling. Carpenter takes on Ginger Rogers, the partner who helped turn Astaire into one of the most beloved screen stars ever.

Back in September, Page Six reported the Adele role had narrowed to Qualley and Monica Barbaro, both classically trained ballet dancers, so Qualley won that race.

Qualley makes total sense here, since she has real dance chops. Carpenter is the bigger gamble. She's a pop phenomenon right now, but playing Ginger Rogers means matching an icon step for step, and that's a whole different level of pressure. There is one practical upside, though: height. Holland is 5'8", and Carpenter, at around 5'0", won't tower over him in heels. Astaire himself was only about 5'9", and Rogers, at roughly 5'4", was a partner who could be framed at his level on the dance floor, so keeping that visual balance matters more than it might seem.

Carpenter isn't a total newcomer to acting. She spent three seasons on Disney Channel's "Girl Meets World," had a supporting role in "The Hate U Give," and led Netflix's dance comedy "Work It," which she also produced. She even made her Broadway debut as Cady Heron in "Mean Girls" before the pandemic cut the run short. Ginger Rogers is still a major leap, but she's not coming in cold.

The timing couldn't be better for Holland. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" has been breaking box-office records, and this is his chance to prove he can open a movie without a mask or IP behind him. Cameras are expected to roll in January, with Amy Pascal producing for Sony, and Holland has already said he won't use a dance double. That's a bold promise. Nobody fakes a Fred Astaire routine, and if the footwork doesn't hold up, the whole movie collapses.

The good news is that the film is in good hands with Paul King, who made the first two "Paddington" films, smartly walked away from the third, and turned "Wonka" into a $634M worldwide hit. If anyone can capture the elegance of "Top Hat," "Swing Time" and "The Band Wagon" without drowning it in mediocrity, it's him.

By the way, the Astaire estate is totally against this biopic getting made, pointing out that Fred's will explicitly stated he didn't want his life dramatized on screen, and threatening legal action if the producers suggest the film is authorized. Legally, though, there isn't much the estate can do to block it, and Sony is clearly pressing ahead.