Jennifer Hudson, Taylor Swift, James Corden, and Ian McKellen Cast in Cats Film
(© David Gordon)
Initial casting has been announced for the upcoming film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats, according to published reports. News of the project was originally announced in May 2016.
The movie's cast will include Jennifer Hudson, Taylor Swift, James Corden, and Ian McKellen. Hudson, who made her Broadway debut in the recent revival of The Color Purple, will take on the role of Grizabella, but the roles that Swift, Corden, and McKellen have been tapped for have not yet been announced.
The film will be produced by Working Title. Tom Hooper, who directed the film version of Boublil and Schönberg's Les Misérables, is attached to direct. Billy Elliot book writer and lyricist Lee Hall is penning the screenplay.
Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and based on T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, the original Broadway production of Cats opened in 1982 at the Winter Garden Theatre. The production ran for a record-breaking 18 years and 7,485 performances and earned six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Original Score. The recent Broadway revival played at the Neil Simon Theatre from July 31, 2016, to December 30, 2017.
