Tom Holland’s Fred Astaire Biopic Narrows Its Search for Adele Astaire to Two Rising Stars

Tom Holland has spent the past few years quietly building toward a genuine departure from his blockbuster comfort zone, one that trades web-slinging and superhero theatrics for tap shoes and classic Hollywood choreography. The Fred Astaire biopic has been in development since 2021, but the project has remained largely under wraps as Holland juggled two of the year’s biggest box office releases.

That momentum has clearly given Sony confidence to push the long-gestating passion project forward. With ‘The Odyssey’ and ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ standing as the two highest-grossing films of 2026 so far, and their theatrical runs still ongoing, the studio appears eager to keep Holland’s streak going with a very different kind of showcase for his talents.

That progress has now reached a major casting milestone. According to Page Six, the search for who will play Adele Astaire, Fred’s older sister and longtime dance partner, has been narrowed down to two finalists: Margaret Qualley and Monica Barbaro.

Both actresses bring a specific qualification to the table that made them stand out in the casting process. Both Qualley and Barbaro have classical ballet training, according to Page Six, a detail that should make the demanding choreography required for the role considerably more manageable given the film’s heavy emphasis on dance.

Qualley’s involvement in the Astaire biopic universe isn’t entirely new territory for her, either. She was previously attached to an entirely separate, competing Fred Astaire project called “Fred & Ginger,” which would have paired her alongside Jamie Bell as Astaire, though that film never moved forward into production.

Barbaro, meanwhile, arrives as something of a rising name this year, with a run of high-profile projects including “Crime 101,” “One Night Only,” and Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming “Artificial” helping raise her profile considerably. Neither actress has previously starred in a film alongside Holland, leaving open questions about how their on-screen chemistry might play out once a final decision is made.

Holland has been increasingly vocal about his excitement for the project as it edges closer to production. Speaking on “Good Morning America,” Holland confirmed the Astaire biopic is officially next on his slate, saying, “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.

Holland has also been explicit about wanting to perform all of the film’s dancing himself, without the use of doubles, and specifically wants those sequences captured in single, unedited shots to preserve the authenticity of the choreography. Given his background performing in “Billy Elliot: The Musical” on the West End earlier in his career, that ambition isn’t entirely unprecedented for the actor.

The film, directed by “Paddington’s” Paul King from a script by “Billy Elliot” writer Lee Hall, will focus primarily on Fred and Adele Astaire’s decades-long partnership rather than attempting to cover the entertainer’s entire career. The siblings moved 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 got married.

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

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