Sabrina Carpenter is returning to her acting roots. The pop superstar has been cast as Ginger Rogers in the upcoming Fred Astaire biopic starring Tom Holland as Fred Astaire, with Margaret Qualley set to play Fred’s sister and original dance partner Adele Astaire.
Director Paul King announced the castings on Friday, September 26, 2026. Long known to be in development — the project has been in the works for more than five years — the still-untitled film carries the approval of the Astaire estate and is based on Kathleen Riley’s biography The Astaires: Fred & Adele.
“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.”
That’s King, who said Fred Astaire “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.”
A Homecoming for Carpenter
While Carpenter is now one of the biggest recording artists in the world, she actually started out as an actress. Before her music career took off, she appeared in shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Orange Is the New Black, and Girl Meets World. On the big screen she has credits in The Hate U Give and Tall Girl, though she has not held a film role since 2022.
The casting joins her at a moment when she has dominated both the charts and awards season. The biopic also pairs her with Margaret Qualley, her collaborator on the “House Tour” music video.
The Forgotten Astaire
The film’s focus is notable: it centers Fred Astaire’s partnership with his older sister Adele, who was his first famous dance partner on Broadway and in vaudeville long before Ginger Rogers. Adele’s pioneering stage work is often overlooked today, which is why the estate’s involvement matters. Fred’s daughter, Ava Astaire McKenzie, said in a statement that the family is “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.”
Why It Matters
The Astaire biopic pairs two of Hollywood’s hottest casting choices — Holland, coming off the record-breaking Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Carpenter, fresh off a career-defining year on the charts — and gives the project rare family approval. By putting Ginger Rogers, a figure often reduced to “Fred’s partner,” back at the center alongside Adele Astaire, the film could reshape how one of cinema’s most famous duos is remembered.
