Idris Elba will reportedly star opposite Taylor Swift in the Cats movie


It seems Idris Elba has landed his next role. It's not James Bond, but for musical fanatics, it's equally iconic.
Elba is reportedly in talks to join the cast of Cats, the new movie adaptation of the popular (and incredibly bizarre) Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. He'd be playing Macavity, who is essentially the story's villain, per Deadline. In the long-running musical, a group of cats gathers together to decide which of them will be sent to a sort of cat heaven referred to as the "Heaviside Layer."
The Cats movie already had a fairly random lineup of cast members including Taylor Swift, Ian McKellen, Jennifer Hudson, and James Corden. Tom Hooper, whose filmography includes the Oscar-nominated 2012 adaptation of Les Misérables, will direct, and Steven Spielberg will produce,Variety reports.
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It's certainly a great time to be an Elba fan, as he's also currently filming the Fast & Furious spinoff Hobbs and Shaw. Both that and Cats come out in 2019, so be prepared for Elba to get furious and — ahem — furry-ous next year.
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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