Idris Elba Joining ‘Cats’ Movie With Taylor Swift

One of the most successful Broadway shows of all time is looking to become one of the most successful films of all time, as the live-action adadptation of Cats has added another impressive name to its roster. Idris Elba is reportedly in final negotiations to join the film.

Tom Hooper will direct the adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical, which will also star Ian McKellen, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden, and Taylor Swift. The film is slated to head into production later this year and land in theaters on December 20, 2019.

The original Broadway show debuted in 1981 and is the fourth-longest-running show in history, ultimately grossing more than $300 million. Cats was previously adapted into a made-for-TV movie in 1998, yet the star power of this new adaptation will likely do the source material more justice.

Elba has become a box office juggernaut, making his way from one successful franchise to another. Elba has been involved in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the original Thor, in which he played Heimdall, with his character seemingly being killed off in Avengers: Infinity War. Elba has also appeared in the Star Trek franchise, while one of his biggest box office successes was The Jungle Book. Interestingly, his unnamed role in Cats will mark another portrayal of an iconic feline, having voiced Shere Khan in Jungle Book.

The actor is currently filming Hobbes & Shaw, a spinoff of the Fast and Furious franchise, which also stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham.

“There are these buddy movies from the ’80s and ’90s like Lethal Weapon and 48 Hours that really speak to me as a filmmaker. They’re ones that made me want to be a filmmaker in the first place. So to see the chemistry [Johnson and Statham] had in the last Fast, and to see the potential that they could be…it was hard not to say yes, and say, ‘Let’s go do this,’” Hobbs & Shaw director David Leitch told IGN of the spinoff.

One franchise that Elba fans are hoping to see the actor enter is the James Bond series, with fans regularly supporting the actor taking over the iconic spy role once Daniel Craig has concluded his tenure. With the next Bond film in its early stages of development with director Cary Fukunaga, Elba’s potential involvement in that series is still many years away from becoming a possibility.

Stay tuned for details on the Cats adaptation before it lands in theaters on December 20, 2019.

Are you excited to see Elba join the film? Let us know in the comments below!

[H/T Variety]