Variety has reported that British actor Idris Elba is be close to signing a deal to star in Tom Hooper's film adaptation of the musical Cats.
The London-born actor is being eyed to appear alongside the likes of Ian McKellen, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden, and Taylor Swift in the much-anticipated cinema version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's money-spinning musical.
The 46-year-old, frequently linked to the James Bond role, has already played a feline role in his career, as he starred as Shere Khan in the 2016 version of The Jungle Book.
The Cats movie will be produced by Hooper, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Debra Hayward, while Steven Spielberg will be one of the executive producers of the project.
The adaptation has been in the works for years, with Hooper - whose CV includes directing the Les Miserables movie - first floating the idea back in 2016.
