Jennifer Hudson To Star In ‘Cats’ Movie Adaptation

Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson, Taylor Swift To Star In ‘Cats’ Movie Adaptation

“Cats”, one of Broadway’s longest running musicals is heading to the big screen. Singers Jennifer Hudson, Taylor Swift, late night talk show host James Corden and Sir Ian McKellen are the first to join the cast. The film will be directed by Tom Hooper, which will begin filming in London this November.

“Cats” is based on T.S. Eliot’s novel “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” and composed by Andrew Lloyd Weber. The story follows a tribe of cats 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.

Jennifer Hudson

Hudson, 36, is said to be portraying the iconic role  of Grizabella, no word on what role Swift will play.

The original Broadway production of “Cats” opened at Broadway’s Winters Garden Theater in 1982, running for 7,482 shows over 18 years. Since then, the musical have been translated into 15 languages and presented in 30 countries. It has won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical and two Grammy’s for Best Cast Album.

The musical held the title of longest-running musical in Broadway history until 2006’s “Les Miserables” and then “The Phantom of the Opera.” The original Broadway production closed on September 10, 2000 and is currently the fourth longest-running show in Broadway history.

“Cats” returned to Broadway last summer at the Neil Simon Theatre and more recently at the London Palladium with Nicole Scherzinger in the role of Grizabella.

Hudson made her film debut portraying Effie White in Dreamgirls, for which she won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her film credits include “Sex and the City”, “The Secret Life of Bees”, and “Black Nativity”. She has guest starred on the several TV shows including Smash, Empire, and Inside Amy Schumer. In 2015, she made her Broadway debut in the role of Shug Avery in the revival of “The Color Purple.”

Jennifer Hudson, Cynthia Erivo, Danielle Brooks

Hudson has released three studio albums. Her 2008 debut album “Jennifer Hudson”, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA, with sales exceeding a million copies worldwide. The record was nominated for four Grammy Awards, winning the 2009 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. Her second album “I Remember Me,” released in 2011, also debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA. Her third album, “JHUD”, peaked in the top ten and featured the Grammy-nominated track “It’s Your World”. She also became the principal singer of “The Color Purple” musical album, which earned the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

By: MJP