Actor Judi Dench has joined the cast of Tom Hooper's film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical 'Cats'.
Dench will play the role of Deuteronomy, the ancient cat who presides over the singing felines' Jellicle Ball. The role has traditionally been played onstage by a man, confirmed Variety.
The seven-time Oscar nominee and winner for 'Shakespeare In Love' star will star alongside Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden, and Ian McKellen, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film will be directed by Tom Hooper, who previously helmed a big-screen adaptation of the much-loved musical 'Les Miserables'.
Based on T.S. Eliot's 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats', the musical - which follows a tribe of cats known as Jellicles - is one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history.
The untitled 'Cats' film is expected to release in December 2019.