It was only a matter of time. After the success of recent musicals like “La La Land” and last year’s “The Greatest Showman,” plans are being made to bring Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1981 legendary musical “Cats” to the big screen. And boy, are they putting together a pretty great cast of singers.
According to The Wrap, the cast for the upcoming cats is being led by Jennifer Hudson, who was nominated for an Oscar for her work in the film “Dream Girls,” Taylor Swift, who is one of the biggest stars on the planet, James Corden, who is no stranger to musicals himself, and Ian McKellan, who is freaking Ian McKellan.
Perhaps best of all, the big-screen adaptation will be directed by Tom Hooper, who probably best known for his Oscar-winning film “The King’s Speech,” but also helmed the musical “Les Misérables” in 2012. He’s currently working on the TV adaptation of “His Dark Materials,” as he’s directing the first episode.
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If you’re not familiar with the musical “Cats,” the story follows a group of cats as they make the “Jellicle Choice.” But even if you don’t know the story of “Cats,” then you’re probably familiar with the famous song “Memory,” which has gone on to be one of those legendary show tunes. The musical was also the longest-running Broadway production in history, as it ran from 1982 until 2000. However, since breaking the record, “Cats” is now the fourth-longest running show.
The musical is adapted by Lee Hall, best known for the film “Billy Elliot.” There’s no word on a release date for the film just yet, but production on “Cats” is expected to begin sometime later this year. Perhaps a Christmas 2019 release is in the cards? Counterprogramming against “Star Wars” seemed to work pretty well for “The Greatest Showman.”