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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Jack Shepherd

Cats movie: Taylor Swift, James Corden, Jennifer Hudson and Ian McKellen join Tom Hooper's musical adaptation

Cats being performed in Hong Kong ( AFP/Getty Images )

The upcoming cinematic adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Catshas landed an incredible cast.

Heading up the movie is singer/actor Jennifer Hudson, who will reportedly play Grizabella, a former “glamour cat” who loses everything and eventually sings the classic track 'Memory'.

Joining Hudson is pop-star Taylor Swift, actor and late-night host James Corden, and Ian McKellen. Their roles currently remain under wraps.

Lee Hall, who penned the famed adaptation of Billy Elliot, will write the script, with Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper (The King's Speech) helming the movie.

Hooper previously scored box-office success with the movie adaptation of Les Miserables, starring Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway. 

Lloyd Webber's musical is based on the T.S. Elliot's Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, a collection of poems about the secret world of Jellicle cats.

The musical version was first performed in 1981, debuting on London's West End before transferring to Broadway. Cats has since become the fourth longest-running show in West End history.

Swift last appeared in a major role in 2014's movie The Giver, while Corden can currently be seen in cinemas in Ocean's 8

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