Tom Holland, star of “Spider-Man,” is trading in his web-shooters for dance shoes. On Sunday, the 25-year-old stated that he will play iconic actor, dancer, and singer Fred Astaire in a future Sony biopic.
In a recent interview with GQ, Oscar-nominated producer Amy Pascal indicated that she wanted Holland to play Fred Astaire in the upcoming picture, as well as another “Spider-Man” trilogy.
However, during an interview with the Associated Press at an event promoting the upcoming “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Holland stated that he will fill the entertainer’s dance shoes for the project, which is still in the early stages.
Holland told reporters, “The script came in a week ago.” “I haven’t read it yet; they haven’t given it to me.”
Holland did mention that Pascal had received the script. “She FaceTimed me earlier. I was in the bath,” he said with a laugh. “And we had a lovely FaceTime, but I will be playing Fred Astaire.”
Given Holland’s own career as a performer, the news that he will take on the persona of the renowned song and dance man comes as no surprise. Holland began his acting career on the London stage, where he starred as Billy Elliot in the West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical from 2008 to 2010.
Then there’s the now-viral video of Holland singing and dancing to a mix of “Singin’ in the Rain” and Rihanna’s “Umbrella” on “Lip Sync Battle” in 2017. Sure, the song was Gene Kelly’s show-stopper in the 1952 musical, but it proved that Holland’s dancing prowess was undeniable.
Over the course of a seven-decade career, Astaire was hailed as one of the best popular music dancers of all time, starring in more than 30 film musicals in addition to his theatrical career on Broadway and the West End. Astaire is best known for his collaborations with Ginger Rogers, who co-starred with him in several films, including “Swing Time,” “The Gay Divorcee,” and “Top Hat.”
The film featuring Holland isn’t the only Fred Astaire project in development right now. In an upcoming film from Amazon Studios and Automatik, Jamie Bell (who, ironically, originated the part of Billy Elliot in the Oscar-nominated 2000 film) will play Astaire against Margaret Qualley’s Ginger Rogers. The biopic will be produced by Bell and Qualley, and will follow the dance duo’s career from “Flying Down to Rio” in 1933 to “The Barkleys of Broadway” in 1949.
Holland is focused on his newest excursion as Peter Parker in Sony and Marvel’s “No Way Home,” his seventh appearance as the web-slinging superhero, until it’s time to dress up as Astaire.
The film “No Way Home” will be released in theatres on December 17th.