Global music sensation Adele is set to trade the stage for the screen, making her film debut in the upcoming movie Cry to Heaven, directed by former fashion designer turned filmmaker Tom Ford.
The star-studded cast also includes Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Colin Firth, Paul Bettany, and Owen Cooper, known for his breakthrough role in Adolescence. The film is adapted from Anne Rice’s 1982 novel, set in 18th-century Venice, exploring the world of the castrati male singers who underwent castration to preserve their high voices.
Tom Ford will direct, produce, and write the screenplay, though the specific roles for Adele and other cast members have not yet been disclosed. The story follows two castrati whose lives and careers in opera become intertwined, offering a dramatic exploration of ambition, artistry, and personal struggle.
Additional cast members include Ciarán Hinds, George MacKay, Mark Strong, Hunter Schafer, and Thandiwe Newton, as reported by US media outlet Deadline and confirmed by a Ford spokesperson to the BBC.
Adele, one of Britain’s most acclaimed music artists, released her last album four years ago and has stayed largely out of the public eye since concluding her Las Vegas residency last year. She previously mentioned plans to take a “big break” to explore other creative ventures.
Tom Ford, celebrated for his work in fashion, has also gained recognition for his films, including A Single Man (2009) starring Firth and Hoult, and Nocturnal Animals (2016), which earned him two BAFTA nominations. After selling his eponymous fashion house to Estee Lauder for $2.8 billion in 2022, Ford announced he would step away from fashion to focus on filmmaking, describing the experience of making his first two films as “the most fun I’ve ever had in my entire life,” in an interview with GQ.
