@Getty Images
Fashion maven Tom Ford doesn't make movies very often, but when he does they're usually very good: 2009's Colin Firth starrer A Single Man was one of the most moving films of its year, and we're still recommending 2016's deliciously dark neo-noir Nocturnal Animals to all and sundry now. All of which is to say that Deadline's reporting that Ford is returning to directing with an adaptation of Anne Rice's historical melodrama Cry To Heaven has us very excited indeed. The only thing more exciting possibly is the all-star cast Ford has assembled for it.
Per Deadline's reporting, global pop megastar Adele is set to make her acting debut in Ford's self-written and directed feature, and will be joined by a constellation of stars including *deep, deep breath* Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Ciarán Hinds, George MacKay, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Paul Bettany, Owen Cooper, Hunter Schafer, Thandiwe Newton, Daryl McCormack, Hauk Hannemann, and Pedro Pascal's sister Lux Pascal. Seriously, it's like an Odyssey level casting deluge, delivered all at once! As for what the movie they're all set to star in is about, then — assuming Ford is faithful to Rice's book — we're in for a period piece set in 18th century Italy that tells the story of a Venetian nobleman and a Calabrian castrato's unlikely collaboration as they seek to earn their place in the world of opera. As Deadline shares, "the story touches on themes of identity, betrayal, love and the pursuit of artistic and personal freedom."
Click here to preview your posts with PRO themes ››
Who will be playing who in Ford's film is unknown at this stage, but with pre-production already underway in London and Rome ahead of a planned January 2026 shoot and prospective late autumn 2026 release, it won't be long before we get to see for ourselves whether Cry To Heaven is destined to be another near-religious Tom Ford cinematic experience.