Amazon is working on a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers biopic simply titled Fred & Ginger, and they have found their leading pair.
Jamie Bell and Margaret Qualley have signed on to star in the film, which Jonathan Entwistle (I Am Not Okay With This) is directing from a script written by Arash Amel (Grace Of Monaco).
The film will revolve around on Astaire and Rogers’ legendary onscreen exploits, but will also dive into their “behind-the-scenes collaborations, sparks of inspiration, and even their love story”, per Deadline.
These casting choices make complete sense. Not only are both Bell and Qualley great actors, but they each have dance experience. Qualley earned an Emmy nomination as dancer Ann Reinking in Fosse/Verdon, and also appeared as a wild dancer in the viral Spike Jonze-directed Kenzo advert.
Bell first broke out as a child in Billy Elliot as the working class boy with a love of ballet.
Amel’s involvement makes total sense, as Grace Of Monaco is another film with a love of classic Hollywood mythology, focusing on Grace Kelly‘s crisis of marriage and identity.
But Entwistle has thus far worked on popular YA properties like I Am Not Okay With This and The End Of The F***ing World, while he’s also at the helm of the in-development Power Rangers universe.
So we’ll see if he can adapt his talents to a far different genre. Obviously Fred & Ginger has come about due to the success of La La Land and its imitators, and we’ll see if this can capture similar magic.
But unlike that film, this one is based on real people, and Astaire and Rogers were both known as terrific dancers, so Bell and Qualley’s moves are going to have to be up to scratch.
#Peace.Love.Fred&Ginger
