Rebel Wilson is joining Universal and Working Title’s adaptation of Cats.
The Aussie actress will play Jennyanydots in the feature that will also star Idris Elba, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden and Ian McKellen. Tom Hooper will direct.
Cats tells the story of a tribe of felines called the Jellicles and the night they make what is known as “the Jellicle choice” and decide which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life. The musical — which is the fourth-longest-running show in Broadway history and was the longest-running Broadway show ever from 1997 until 2006 — features some of the best-known songs from the stage, including “Memory.”
Production on Cats is set to take place later this year in the U.K., with more of the cast to be announced. Lee Hall (Billy Elliot) has adapted Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, which itself was based on the T.S. Eliot novel Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.
Cats is dated for a Dec. 20, 2019, release.
