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Fashion designer Tom Ford has called up Adele to co-star in his adaptation of Anne Rice’s Cry to Heaven, his production company said Wednesday.
The film, which Ford is writing, directing and producing, will mark the acting debut of the superstar singer.
Adele is just one part of a large ensemble cast that includes Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, George MacKay, Colin Firth, Paul Bettany, Adolescence breakout Owen Cooper and Hunter Schafer, though no details were immediately available about their specific roles.
The Grammy-winning singer’s last musical release, an album titled 30, came out in 2021. Rather than touring for the album, she performed a Weekends with Adele residency in Las Vegas, which wrapped in 2024 after 100 shows.
Adele joins a long tradition of singers giving acting a try. Earlier this year, pop star Charli XCX took on roles in both TV and film, while the likes of Lady Gaga, Harry Styles and A$AP Rocky have all made similar moves in recent years.
Rice’s original novel, first published in 1982, is set in the world of the opera in 18th-century Italy and follows two characters from very different backgrounds: one born a peasant, the other a Venetian noble.
Cry to Heaven will be the third feature for Ford, who made his directing debut with the romantic drama A Single Man in 2009, followed by the psychological thriller Nocturnal Animals in 2016.
According to Deadline, which broke the story, Ford wrote the screenplay, and the film is currently in pre-production in London and Rome, with aims of a fall 2026 release date.
As with his previous features, Ford is financing Cry to Heaven himself. In 2016, he told The Associated Press: “I will only ever make a movie if I control the underlying rights.”
