Sabrina Carpenter to Play Ginger Rogers in Fred Astaire Biopic

Sabrina Carpenter will return to her acting roots when she plays the role of Ginger Rogers in the upcoming Fred Astaire biopic starring Tom Holland.

Carpenter’s “House Tour” video cohort Margaret Qualley will also portray Fred’s sister and dance partner Adele Astaire in the long-in-the-works film, director Paul King announced Friday; while Fred Astaire and Rogers made Hollywood history together as a dancing duo, the Astaire siblings’ pioneering work on the stage is often forgotten.

“I am thrilled and honored to have been entrusted with telling the story of Fred Astaire and his original dance partner — his big sister Adele — to the big screen,” King said in a statement (via Variety).

“Fred left a timeless legacy of dance on film — most famously in his collaborations with Ginger Rogers — while Adele’s work has been lost to history; indeed, no footage of her dancing survives. The cinematic challenge of bringing to life these icons of the twentieth century is one that I could not imagine without Tom Holland, Margaret Qualley and Sabrina Carpenter by my side.”

Years before Carpenter embarked on a music career, she entered show business as an actress, appearing in shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Orange Is the New Black, and Girl Meets World before she released her debut single. On the big screen, Carpenter has appeared in The Hate U Give and Tall Girl, though she doesn’t have a film credit since 2022.

The still-untitled Astaire biopic, which has been in the works for over five years, comes with the approval of the legendary actor-dancer’s estate, with Kathleen Riley’s biography The Astaires: Fred & Adele serving as the basis for the film.

“I’m delighted to support this endeavor to celebrate the extraordinary careers and enduring legacy of my father and aunt, who were among the biggest musical stars of their era,” Fred’s daughter Ava Astaire McKenzie said in a statement. “With Kathleen Riley’s seminal biography as its foundation, and the creative team in place, the story of their partnership both on and off the stage is in the best care.”