Ragesh Dipu
Universal has unveiled the first trailer for ‘Cats,’ the upcoming big-screen adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical. The clip reveals the transmogrified CGI human-cat hybrids of the live-action remake which features Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, Ian McKellan, Judi Dench, Rebel Wilson, James Corden, Jason Derulo, Jennifer Hudson, and Steven McRae in major roles.
“Are you going to try for a different life?” asks Francesca Hayward’s character Victoria in the trailer.
The unanswered question is accompanied by a rendition of the familiar song, ‘Memory’ by Jennifer Hudson.
“A new day… Has begun…” sings Hudson.
‘Cats’ is directed by Tom Hooper, who is known for ‘Les Miserables.’ The feline saga is the film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical of the same name from Andrew Lloyd Webber, which is based on T.S. Eliot’s book of poems titled ‘Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.’
The plot revolves around a feline tribe called the Jellicles and a decisive night in which the members celebrate “the Jellicle choice.” At the peak of the party fever, the cats pick up a representative to ascend to the Heaviside Layer and reincarnate as a new cat.
Hooper promised at CinemaCon a ‘Cats’ “on a much bigger scale than you can possibly imagine. We wanted to make a 2019 version that was thoroughly our own, with digital technology to create the most perfect covering of fur.”
“I can’t wait for the world to see what we’ve been cooking up and working on secretly for the past three or four years,” Elba teased at the event.
The popular stage musical debuted in the London stage in 1981 and got a Broadway opening in the next year after the feline-costumed cast garnered widespread popularity. The Broadway version also features songs that went on to become musical classics in the history of modern theater.
Songs such as ‘The Rum Tum Tugger,’ ‘Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats,’ ‘Mr. Mistoffelees,’ and ‘Memory’ were on every lip during that time. ‘Memory,’ the most popular number is performed by the character Grizabella, the ‘Glamour Cat.’ Grizabella is played by Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson in the upcoming movie. The Broadway version of ‘Cats’ won six Tony Awards during its long run and the huge success launched the stellar career of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The Working Title production has Andrew Lloyd Weber and Steven Spielberg as executive producers.
‘Cats’ is set to hit theaters on December 20, 2019. Watch the first trailer for ‘Cats’ movie below.
Cover Image Courtesy: Universal Pictures.
