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Tom Holland confirms Fred Astaire biopic is next on his agenda - with plans for him to do all the dancing himself

The Spider-Man star will be stepping into the shoes of the iconic dancer.

Tom Holland attends the "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" Rome Premiere photocall at Hotel De La Ville on June 23, 2026 in Rome, Italy.

Franco Origlia/WireImage

Published: Thursday, 23 July 2026 at 11:00 am

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It's been a long time coming but Tom Holland has finally revealed some further details about his upcoming starring role in the Sony's Fred Astaire biopic film.

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Although the Spider-Man star revealed back in 2021 that he'd be playing the American dancer, actor and choreographer, significant recent roles in the Marvel universe and beyond have left his hands full.

With his current role in The Odyssey and upcoming reprisal of his starring role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Holland has said that his eyes are now set on embodying Astaire in more ways than one. Aside from the obvious acting, Holland has said that he's striving to "make Fred proud" with his dancing and hopes to pull off dance routines in an impressive one take.

Fred Astaire wraps his arm around Janis Paige's shoulder, with the two smiling and embracing for a crowd of journalists and photgraphers

Fred Astaire and Janis Paige photographed in 1957. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images

Speaking to Good Morning America, Holland said: "For me, what I love about my job is the challenges. We have Fred Astaire next, is what we’re planning on doing. And as soon as I finish with these tours, I’m diving back into the dance studio.

"I did my first few rehearsals recently, and it both filled me with excitement and absolute dread because I’ve got so much work to do to try and do Fred proud."

He added that he has "a desire to use no doubles, to do all of the dancing, to shoot those dances in one shot – how [Astaire] would have done it."

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Holland found fame in the starring role of West End's Billy Elliot so knows a thing or two about the technicality of dance but taking on the role of Astaire is no small feat. Widely known as the "greatest popular-music dancer of all time" and with a trademark dancing style that influenced the American Smooth, Astaire is also known for his numerous roles in some of Hollywood's classic musical films.

Along with long-term dance partner Ginger Rogers, Astaire starred in the likes of Swing Time, Shall We Dance and Silk Stockings, to name a few. Astaire's career spanned an impressive 76 years before he died in 1987 of pneumonia.

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As for how many years the upcoming biopic will span, we'll just have to wait and see. In terms of there here and now, Holland can enjoy the fruits of his labour in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, with the film opening to rave reviews, sold out IMAX screenings and worldwide fanfare.

In an exclusive interview with Radio Times, Oscar-winner Nolan called Holland "one of the great new young voices in cinema". Holland will next be seen in just one week on the big screen in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with Deadline already reporting that Brand New Day has amassed the largest number of pre-sales since 2021, rivalling the record set by No Way Home.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Morgan Cormack, smiling against a lime green background

Morgan CormackDrama Writer

Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.

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