Taylor Swift and Jennifer Hudson to Star in 'Cats' Movie Adaptation

Taylor Swift and Jennifer Hudson to Star in ‘Cats’ Movie Adaptation

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From left, Taylor Swift, James Corden and Jennifer Hudson, who are set to appear in a big-screen adaption of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s stage musical “Cats.”CreditFrom left: Lauren Hurley/Epa-Efe/Rex/Shutterstock; Jason Szenes/Epa-Efe/Rex/Shutterstock; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

By Aisha Harris

If you’re a devoted fan of “Cats,” Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-running musical based on a collection of T.S. Eliot poems, but you never got the chance to witness it onstage, you have always had the 1998 direct-to-video recording of the West End production to turn to for comfort. But it is an unspoken rule that every moneymaking property must be revived, rebooted or reimagined at least twice — which could explain why “Cats” is finally getting the full-on cinematic treatment.

In the grand tradition of Mr. Webber’s affinity for spectacle, the production is pulling out all the stops for its cast: Taylor Swift, James Corden, Jennifer Hudson and Ian McKellen are set to star, according to Playbill, which today confirmed reports on the casting. (Tom Hooper, whose work includes such aesthetically lavish productions as “Les Misérables” and “The Danish Girl,” was revealed to be the film’s director in 2016.) “Cats” will reportedly start filming in Britain later this year.

At first glance, this collection of stars might seem like something out of a meme generator. Yet the casting just might be perfect: Ms. Swift, while not exactly the most graceful dancer, is famously attached to her own cats. Ms. Hudson, who won an Oscar for her showstopping performance in the 2006 movie adaptation of “Dreamgirls,” has reportedly been cast as Grizabella; one can imagine her bringing new life to the show’s signature song, “Memory.”

The lithe Mr. McKellen, meanwhile, seems as if he were destined to play a feline. And Mr. Corden, a noted song-and-dance man, has already got his catlike gestures down pat.

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