Tom Holland’s Fred Astaire Biopic Narrows Adele Astaire Casting to Two Actresses

Tom Holland has been gradually stepping out of his blockbuster comfort zone, shifting from web-slinging superhero roles to classic Hollywood choreography in his upcoming Fred Astaire biopic. In development since 2021, the project has remained largely under wraps as Holland balanced two of the year’s biggest box office hits.

The success of ‘The Odyssey’ and ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’, both of which are among the highest-grossing films of 2026, has given Sony the confidence to advance this long-cherished project. With their theatrical runs still ongoing, the studio seems eager to showcase Holland’s talents in a very different light.

Now, the project has reached a significant casting milestone. According to Page Six, the search for the role of Adele Astaire, Fred’s older sister and dance partner, has been narrowed down to two finalists: Margaret Qualley and Monica Barbaro.

Both actresses possess classical ballet training, which made them standout candidates during the casting process. This background should help them tackle the demanding choreography that the role requires, given the film’s strong focus on dance.

Qualley’s connection to the Astaire biopic isn’t entirely new, as she was previously linked to a different Fred Astaire project titled ‘Fred & Ginger’, where she would have starred alongside Jamie Bell. However, that film never progressed to production.

Barbaro is gaining recognition this year with a series of high-profile projects including ‘Crime 101’, ‘One Night Only’, and Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming ‘Artificial’, significantly raising her profile. Neither actress has appeared in a film with Holland before, leaving their potential on-screen chemistry a topic of curiosity.

Holland has expressed his enthusiasm for the project as it moves closer to production. In an interview on ‘Good Morning America’, he confirmed that the Astaire biopic is next on his agenda, stating, “We have Fred Astaire next, is what we’re planning on doing. And as soon as I finish with these tours, I’m diving back into the dance studio,” according to Good Morning America.

He has also emphasized his desire to perform all of the film’s dance sequences himself, without doubles, aiming for those scenes to be captured in single, unedited takes to maintain the choreography’s authenticity. Given his experience in ‘Billy Elliot: The Musical’ on the West End, this ambition is not surprising.

Directed by Paul King of ‘Paddington’ fame and written by ‘Billy Elliot’ writer Lee Hall, the film will primarily focus on the decades-long partnership between Fred and Adele Astaire, rather than covering his entire career. The siblings transitioned from a Midwestern vaudeville act in the early 1900s to major success on Broadway and London’s West End throughout the 1920s, before parting ways in 1932 when Adele married.

Amy Pascal, the producer behind ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’, is also producing the Astaire project, creating a continuity between Holland’s blockbuster roles and this more intimate character study. With the casting for Adele now down to its final two contenders, the film appears to be progressing steadily toward production after years of development.

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