Tom Ford’s Anne Rice Adaptation ‘Cry To Heaven’ Casts Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Adele, Owen Cooper, Colin Firth, Hunter Schafer & Many More

Impressive would be an understatement concerning the all-star cast for Tom Ford‘s next feature effort, as his adaptation of the Anne Rice novel “Cry To Heaven” has assembled a who’s who of veteran actors alongside up-and-comers for the opera singer thriller set in 18th-century Italy.

The fashion designer and filmmaker has added a heap of names to the project, according to a report from Deadline, such as Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, famed singer Adele (making her feature acting debut in the drama in need of professional singers), Ciarán Hinds, George MacKay, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Paul Bettany, Owen Cooper, Daniel Quinn-Toye, Hunter Schafer, Josephine Thiesen, Thandiwe Newton, Theodore Pellerin, Daryl McCormack, Cassian Bilton, Hauk Hannemann, and Lux Pascal.

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Published back in 1982, the novel’s official synopsis via Amazon:

In a sweeping saga of music and vengeance, the acclaimed author of “The Vampire Chronicles” draws readers into eighteenth-century Italy, bringing to life the decadence beneath the shimmering surface of Venice, the wild frivolity of Naples, and the magnetic terror of its shadow, Vesuvius. This is the story of the castrati, the exquisite and otherworldly sopranos whose graceful bodies and glorious voices win the adulation of royal courts and grand opera houses throughout Europe. These men are revered as idols, and, at the same time, scorned for all they are not.

Ford is producing through his Fade To Black banner and also adapted the Rice book into the film’s screenplay. Filming is expected to begin in mid-January, with London and Rome named as locales alongside a possible late fall release for the pic next year.

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“Cry To Heaven” will see Ford reuniting with Hoult and Firth after the two starred in his debut film “A Single Man” from 2009, and Taylor-Johnson was featured in his last release, “Nocturnal Animals.” It will also be his first attempt at moviemaking in nearly a decade, and we’re thrilled by his return to directing.