Jennifer Hudson cast as Grizabella in Cats the Movie

According to  this morning's  Mail , Dreamgirls  Academy Award-winner Jennifer Hudson will  play the iconic role of Grizabella in the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's CATS! which Tom Hooper will direct Working Title pictures to  begin shooting in November in London. Andrew Lloyd Webber has composed a new song for the adaptation, for the white kitten Victoria and is also considering adding more new numbers to the score.

Baz has also reported that other stars including Sir Ian McKellen, James Corden, and  Taylor Swift are currently in talks to join the film, with deals yet  confirmed.

Spielberg wanted to turn Cats into a Hollywood blockbuster thirty years ago, but couldn’t figure out how to make it work.Now he’s billed as an executive producer (not with a hands-on role), which will see the actors wearing feline costumes - different from the ones worn on stage.

Director Hooper has spent almost two years working with a team of designers and technical wizards on closely guarded methods to come up with an innovative form of computer-generated imagery (CGI) that he will mix with live footage. His  innovations have won the approval of film moguls Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan, who run  London-based  Working Title, and their colleague, producer Debra Hayward, who oversaw the day-to-day production of the Les Miserables movie.

Dancers and singers are being auditioned and begin rehearsing the huge production numbers with choreographer Wayne McGregor next month. Production designer Eve Stewart, director of photography Danny Cohen and costume designer Paco Delgado have already been busy on various test shoots to see how Cats will move.