Just when I thought Hollywood’s choice of adaptations couldn’t get any stranger, they go and decide to bring Cats to the big screen. Don’t get me wrong, Cats is an iconic staged production in its own right for a reason — it’s just a bit difficult to envision it translated on-screen. It looks like the decorated team behind the movie is going to have their work cut out for them.
Cats is a musical based on the Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. It focuses on the Jellicle tribe of cats and the one night of the year they make “the Jellicle choice”. This is when they determine which cat will ‘ascend to the Heaviside Layer’ and gain a new life — essentially, which cats gets to go heaven.
Disclaimer: Actors may not necessarily be playing these cats
Confirmed members of the cast are Jennifer Hudson (Grizabella), Ian McKellen (Gus the Theatre Cat), Taylor Swift (Bombalurina), Idris Elba (Macavity), Judi Dench (a genderbent Old Deuteronomy), Jason Derulo (Rum Tum Tugger), and Rebel Wilson (Jennyanydots). Dancers from the Royal Ballet, Francesca Hayward and Steven McRae, as well as choreographer Mette Towley, will also be joining them though their roles have not yet been released.
Leading the project as director is Tom Hooper (Les Miserables, The Danish Girl) with the guidance of Andrew Lloyd Webber (ALW) himself. ALW, of course, is the composer of Cats and other well-known musicals like Phantom of the Opera, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar.Â
(We’re about to get a movie about Celine Dion called ‘The Power of Love’)
If you can’t quite grasp how eccentric this movie might turn out just check out this clip from the musical and try to imagine this, but with Taylor Swift, Ian McKellen, James Corden, Jennifer Hudson, and all.
The movie is set for release on 20th December 2019. The production has pushed back the Wicked movie which was previously slated to premiere this December. Cats the movie is rumored to feature new music from Andrew Lloyd Webber.
What do you think the strangest part of the movie will be?Â
