An exciting new twist has been introduced into Tom Hooper's already eagerly anticipated forthcoming adaptation of Cats, which is set to hit the big screen late next year, as Judi Dench is announced to star in the musical movie as a character traditionally portrayed by a man.
Judi Dench at The Murder on the Orient Express premiere / Photo Credit: Maurice Clements
The 83-year-old will play Jellicle leader Old Deuteronomy in the new film almost thirty years after she was forced to pull out of the original stage version due to injury. She was once set to play the coveted role of Grizabella in the West End, but ended up snapping her achilles tendon and had to be replaced by Elaine Page.
Deuteronomy was first portrayed by Brian Blessed, with the role being taken over by Ken Page for the Broadway production.
About Cats
Cats was originally adapted into a stage play by Andrew Lloyd Webber from TS Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. It hit the stage for the first time in 1981, and has gone on to become the fourth-longest-running show on Broadway and the sixth-longest-running in the West End. The Broadway show won seven Tony Awards, with the West End vision landing two Olivier Awards.
In 1998, the musical was turned into a popular made-for-TV movie by the BBC starring Elaine Paige, Ken Page, and EastEnders' John Partridge as Rum Tum Tugger. It also had a West End revival in 2014 with The X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger landing an Oliver nomination for her role as Grizabella.
The forthcoming Cats movie sees Les Misérables director Tom Hooper co-writing a feature-length screenplay for the first time with Lee Hall of Billy Elliot fame.
While Cats is very much about visual aesthetic and the musical numbers more than plot, the story is a legendary one. It's all about an eclectic tribe of cats called the Jellicles who must make a decision on which one of them will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn.
The stars
As well as Judi Dench's addition to the cast, a number of other famous faces will make up the rest of the ensemble. Jennifer Hudson, who previously won an Academy Award, BAFTA and Golden Globe for her role in Dreamgirls (her film debut), will play Grizabella; a role made iconic by the emotional refrain Memory which has become a popular theatre standard. She's the grizzled former "glamour cat" who's on a journey to be accepted by her disinterested fellow Jellicles.
Meanwhile, Ian McKellen will be Gus The Theatre Cat; only too appropriate given his 60 years of experience on stage. The last musical film he appeared in was Bill Condon's 2017 live action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.
James Corden has also had musical experience, having starred in Rob Marshall's Into the Woods, and while we don't yet know for sure what role he'll be playing in Cats, we'd like to venture a guess that it will be the lovable Bustopher Jones; the upperclass "St. James's Street Cat".
It's as yet unknown as to what role Taylor Swift will be playing either. Unlike the others, she's yet to appear in a musical but we don't think she's got much to worry about, seeing as her musical talent has sold her 40 million albums and earned her ten Grammy awards. The most likely roles for her including Victoria the white kitten, one of the Gumbie trio (Bombalurina, Jellylorum or Demeter) or Jemima.
Idris Elba is another one of the latest cast announcements; he'll be the villainous Macavity, also known as The Napoleon of Crime. While he appeared in 2016's The Jungle Book, he has little else in the way of musical theatre experience. However, we know he's got musical talent because he's released six hip hop and soul EPs, albums and mixtapes, and still DJs under the moniker DJ Big Driis.
Release
Cats has been given the tentative release date of December 20, 2019.
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