Paddington’s Paul King will direct Tom Holland as Fred Astaire in the new film

We’ve known for a few years that Fred Astaire dueling movies are in the works: one starring Tom Holland as the legendary entertainer, the other starring Jamie Bell as Astaire and Margaret Qualley as Ginger Rogers. Both are seeing new moves today, con the Hollywood reporter bringing the news that the film from Holland now you have PaddingtonPaul King as director and Lee Hall rewriting the script.

The untitled film starring Holland now also has Lee Hall as a screenwriter. It will focus on Astaire and his sister, Adele Astaire. The two were inseparable for over 20 years, going from a simple Midwestern vaudeville act in the early 20th century to Broadway and London’s West End in the 1920s. Adele Astaire was initially the face of the act, but eventually , Fred Astaire’s consummate theatrical talents have eclipsed his own. The duo broke up in 1932 when his sister married, which was a blow to Fred, but also set him on the road to Hollywood dance musicals and, later, cinematic immortality.

King, of course, brought us both wonderful Paddington film and has more recently ventured into musical territory thanks to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory origin story wonkawhich will be released at the end of the year. And Hall has her connection to the two leads in Astaire’s film: she wrote billy eliottin which Bell starred and helped launch Holland’s career when he appeared in the stage musical version.

Which brings us clearly to this version of Astaire’s story with Bell. This already had a director (Jonathan Entwistle) and writer (Arash Amel) and will feature Grammy-winning music producer Marius de Vries, who will work alongside Tony-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and award-winning composers Abigail Barlow. and Emily Bear. and Emi. nominee Mark Sonnenblick to recreate the music and dance numbers that made Astaire and Rogers famous. They have starred in 10 movies together, starting with fly to the river in 1933 and ending with The Barkleys of Broadway in 1949. The duo revolutionized the musical film genre and dazzled audiences with their inventive style. This film focuses on a defining moment in their lives early in their careers, when their conflicting dance styles and competitive rivalry threatened to destroy their legendary partnership.

“Margaret and Jamie were born to play this legendary dance duo,” said producer Fred Berger. He says Expiration. “We are thrilled to offer people a big and joyful event, full of spectacle and heart, that will make them smile, cry and dance outside the theatre.”

Let the sound of tap shoes call you – it was the beginning of the Astaire wars!