Adele will make her film acting debut in an adaptation of Anne Rice’s Cry to Heaven, Deadline reports.
Rice’s historical novel, published in 1982 by Knopf, follows Tonio Treschi and Guido Maffeo, two castrati opera singers in 18th-century Italy who befriend each other. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus wrote of the book, “Rice has convincingly reconstructed performance and training highlights in this era of ornamental vocalization.”
Adele, the singer known for hit singles including “Rolling in the Deep,” “Skyfall,” and “Hello,” will star in the film, alongside Nicholas Hoult (The Menu), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (28 Years Later), Ciarán Hinds (Belfast), Colin Firth (The King’s Speech), Hunter Schafer (Cuckoo), and Thandiwe Newton (Crash).
The film will be written, produced, and directed by Tom Ford, the fashion designer who has previously helmed the movies A Single Man and Nocturnal Animals.
Rice’s novels have been adapted for the screen before, most notably her Vampire Chronicles books, which spawned two films, Interview With the Vampire and Queen of the Damned. The books also formed the basis for the current television series Interview With the Vampire, which will air its third season next year under the title The Vampire Lestat.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
