One of Broadway’s strangest, most successful musicals is getting one of the strangest, most successful cast for its movie adaptation.
Variety reports that Idris Elba is the latest actor to sign on to an adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats. He joins a cast that includes Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden and Ian McKellen.
The musical centers around a group of cats called the Jellicles. One night, they must decide which of them will leave for the “Heaviside Layer” and return in a different form, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Cats was the longest show to run on Broadway, ever, being performed on the Great White Way from 1997 to 2006.
Cats is most notable for the infamous costumes the characters wore onstage—fur suits and makeup that made cast members look like disturbing cat-human hybrids. Though no details have been revealed on how the characters will be dressing in the film adaptation, set for release in December 2019, Playbill speculates that since Royal Ballet choreographer Wayne McGregor is attached to the project, some variation of creepy cat people will be involved.
Imagining Idris Elba in that sort of a cat suit is disturbing to say the least, but if anyone can make it look good, he can. He’ll be playing the title character of the show’s song “Macavity the Mystery Cat,” a master criminal.
Unsure if Idris Elba can play a cat? Check out his role as Shere Khan in 2016’s adaptation of Disney’s The Jungle Book. Unsure if Idris Elba can sing? Check out this clip from The Tonight Show where he joins Jimmy Fallon in singing Google Translated versions of songs.
This movie is gonna be weird, but I’m gonna enjoy the hell out of it.