Judi Dench Joins ‘Cats’

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Academy Award winner  Dame Judi Dench has signed on to join an all-star cast of talent in the upcoming film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s international feline Broadway hit, Cats.  According to Deadline, the dame is  is set to play the role of Deuteronomy, a role traditionally played by a man in the stage version of the musical.  Deuteronomy is an ancient, wise puss who has “lived many lives in succession”, who commands the respect of not just his feline pals but also humans and dogs.  Also, set to star are Jennifer Hudson, Taylor Swift, James Corbin and Tony winner Sir Ian McKellen. On Wednesday it was announced that Idris Elba has joined the cast in the role as Macavity, the villain of the piece.

Dench was first cast to play Grizabella in the 1981 London premiere of Cats, but withdrew in early rehearsals after tearing her achilles tendon.

Composed by Lloyd Webber and based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, the original Broadway production opened in 1982 at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre (currently home to Lloyd Webber’s School of Rock), where it ran for 7,485 performances and 18 years. The musical was originally produced on Broadway by Cameron Mackintosh, The Really Useful Company Limited, David Geffen, and The Shubert Organization. A revival at the Neil Simon Theatre ran from July 2016 through December 2017.

The film will be directed by Oscar winner Tom Hooper (Les Misérables, The King’s Speech) and penned by Billy Elliot’s Lee Hall,  and will begin shooting in November and is expected in theatres December 2019.

 

 

Source: Deadline