Talia Ryder joins Tom Holland’s Fred Astaire biopic cast
Talia Ryder has joined Tom Holland’s Fred Astaire biopic cast as June Allyson, the MGM actress and dancer who was originally set to star opposite Astaire in “Royal Wedding,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. Ryder, who is classically trained, adds another dancer to an ensemble built around Holland’s passion project for Sony.
She joins Margaret Qualley, who plays Astaire’s older sister and original dance partner, Adele, and Sabrina Carpenter, who plays Ginger Rogers, Astaire’s most famous film partner.
The role: June Allyson
Allyson was one of MGM’s musical stars, and she came close to becoming one of Astaire’s screen partners. She was first in line for the lead opposite him in “Royal Wedding” before the part went elsewhere, which gives the biopic a built-in what-if.
Ryder has the stage background to match. She started out on Broadway in “Matilda the Musical” and later landed a role in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.”
The project so far
Paul King, the filmmaker behind “Paddington” and “Wonka,” is directing. He wrote the screenplay with Steven Levenson, adapting Kathleen Riley’s book “The Astaires: Fred & Adele.” Holland is producing through his Billy17 banner alongside Amy Pascal and Rachel O’Connor of Pascal Pictures and Ben Holden and Josh Hyams of Lightbulb Pictures.
Not everyone in the Astaire camp is on board. Fred’s daughter, Ava Astaire McKenzie, supports the film, and her son, Tyler McKenzie, is a consultant and co-producer. But Fred’s widow, Robyn Astaire, sent Pascal a legal letter in November 2025 saying she had not authorized any portrayal of her late husband and that his will made clear he didn’t want his life story on screen, according to TMZ.
When Qualley and Carpenter were cast in September, King said in a statement, “Fred left a timeless legacy of dance on film — most famously in his collaborations with Ginger Rogers — while Adele’s work has been lost to history; indeed, no footage of her dancing survives. The cinematic challenge of bringing to life these icons of the twentieth century is one that I could not imagine without Tom Holland, Margaret Qualley and Sabrina Carpenter by my side.”
Talia Ryder’s background
Ryder’s screen breakout came with “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” the indie drama that premiered at Sundance. She has also already worked with Qualley, in Ethan Coen’s “Honey Don’t.”
Next up for Ryder are Amazon MGM’s “4 Kids Walk Into a Bank” and the second season of Prime Video’s “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” UTA, LBI and Vainshtein Law represent her.
What’s next for the Fred Astaire biopic
Holland, who first confirmed the project in 2021, is already back in the dance studio and plans to do all of his own dancing. For him, the role is personal. “One of my biggest regrets in my career is that after I finished ‘Billy Elliot,’ I quit dancing,” he said on “Live with Kelly and Mark” in July.
Holland has told GQ the film is set to start shooting in January 2027.
Reporting from The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline and TMZ contributed to this story.
