Adele is set to swap the concert stage for the big screen, joining a star-studded cast in Cry to Heaven, a new film written, directed and produced by fashion designer–turned–filmmaker Tom Ford.
The British singer will appear alongside Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Colin Firth, Paul Bettany and rising talent Owen Cooper, as well as Ciarán Hinds, George MacKay, Mark Strong, Hunter Schafer and Thandiwe Newton, according to US trade reports confirmed by Ford’s spokesperson.
The film is an adaptation of Anne Rice’s 1982 historical novel Cry to Heaven, set in the opulent but ruthless 18th-Century world of the castrati — male singers castrated to preserve their ethereal high voices. The story follows two men from different social backgrounds whose lives become intertwined as they rise to fame in the Venetian opera scene.
Ford, financing the project independently as he did with his earlier features, will be directing his third film after the critically acclaimed A Single Man (2009) and Nocturnal Animals (2016). Production is scheduled to begin in London and Rome in January 2026, with a planned late autumn 2026 release.
Details of Adele’s role have not yet been revealed, but the musically rich, opera-driven narrative appears a natural fit for the 16-time Grammy winner, who has spoken about wanting to explore “other creative things” after wrapping her blockbuster Las Vegas residency and subsequent break from touring.
Cry to Heaven also continues the current wave of Anne Rice screen adaptations, following recent series based on Interview with the Vampire and Mayfair Witches.
