It’s officially official:Tom Hooper’sCatsmovieis real, folks. The Oscar-winningThe King’s Speechdirector has been taking his time in finding his follow-up project toThe Danish Girl, which hit theaters back in 2015, but he eventually settled on a big-budget film adaptation of the iconic Broadway musicalCats—and he’s assembled an A-list cast to bring it to life.
The film is an adaptation ofAndrew Lloyd Webber’s stage musical and the poems fromT.S. Eliot’sOld Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, as it tells the story of a group of cats called the Jellicles and the night they decide which cat will ascend to the “Heaviside Layer” and come back to a new life. Hooper co-wrote the script for the film alongsideWar HorseandBilly Elliotco-writerLee Hall.
TheCatsmovie cast consists of the following:
James Cordenas Bustopher Jones
Dame Judi Denchas Old Deuteronomy
Jason Deruloas Rum Tum Tugger
Idris Elbaas Macavity
Jennifer Hudsonas Grizabella
Sir Ian McKellenas Gus
Taylor Swiftas Bombalurina
Rebel Wilsonas Jennyanydots
Francesca Haywardas Victoria
Hooper—who also directed a big-budget, star-studded film adaptation ofLes Miserablesa few years back to mixed results—will be using “astonishing new technology to transform his cast members into a breathtaking, vivid new vision of one of the most beloved musicals of all time.” It’s unclear if that means simply using digital technology on top of practical makeup, or if Hooper is going theMowgliroute and using performance-capture to bring these creatures to uncanny life. Surely we’ll find out soon enough.
Dance will be a major part of the film, and in addition to the principal cast, the film features dance performers likeLarryandLaurent Bourgeiois(aka Les Twins),Robbie Fairchild,Mëtte Towley,Steven McRae, and more—all under the guidance of three-time Tony-winning choreographerAndy Blankenbuehler(Hamilton).
Behind-the-scenes, I’m personally excited to see Hooper working with a different cinematographer this time around,RoomandTerminalDPChristopher Ross. His team also includes production designerEve Stewart(The Danish Girl), costume designerPaco Delgado(A Wrinkle in Time), sound mixerSimon Hayes(Les Miserables), executive music producerMarius De Vries(Moulin Rouge), and casting directorLucy Bevan(Ready Player One).
Check out the first behind-the-scenes image fromCatsbelow. The Working Title and Universal Pictures film is produced by Hooper,Tim Bevan,Eric Fellner, andDebra Hayward, withSteven Spielberg, Llloyd Webber,Angela Morrison, andJo Burnexecutive producing.
