That Paul King–directed Fred Astaire biopic, which is supposed to star Tom Holland, got some pushback from the Astaire estate, which said that Fred “was explicit in his Will that he did not want his life story to be depicted on screen” … and threatened legal action if producers claimed she authorized the biopic.
Yet — despite Astaire saying, from beyond the grave, not to go ahead with this film — it seems like it’s still moving forward at Sony. At least that’s what Holland is now telling GQ, confirming plans to shoot the film in January 2027.
In another interview, released this morning on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast, Holland revealed that dance rehearsals were underway, which only further confirms that this project is actually a real thing and that it’s indeed happening.
This movie was originally supposed to start production in 2024. Along the way, there have been plenty of rumors about who would join Holland in the cast, and one of the names that kept coming up was Isabelle Huppert as Astaire’s mother. Emma Stone was also rumored to play his wife.
Astaire was one of Hollywood’s most iconic performers — a dancer, singer, and actor whose precision, creativity, and influence helped define the golden age of movie musicals. His partnership with Ginger Rogers remains legendary in “Top Hat,” “Swing Time,” and my personal favorite, his late-career masterpiece, “The Band Wagon.”
At some point, continuing in spite of the family’s explicit objections would become a willful disregard for the wishes of the very person the film claims to honor.
King, who wisely exited “Paddington 3,” most recently directed “Wonka,” which starred Timothée Chalamet and turned out to be a massive holiday success, grossing $634 million worldwide. He’s also currently developing, if you can believe it, a Labubu movie, also for Sony.