Adele makes acting debut in Tom Ford’s 'Cry to Heaven' after walking away from music spotlight

Highlights:

• Adele to star in Tom Ford’s new film Cry to Heaven
• Cast includes Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Colin Firth, and Thandiwe Newton
• Filming begins in January in London and Rome, release expected in 2026
• Marks Ford’s first film since Nocturnal Animals
• Adele once said she’d act for director Xavier Dolan

Adele is finally making her move into films. The singer will appear in Cry to Heaven, the third feature from fashion designer and director Tom Ford. The story comes from Anne Rice’s novel set in 18th century Italy and follows two men brought together by music, a Venetian nobleman and a castrato singer from Calabria.

Adele set to star in Tom Ford’s new period drama Cry to Heaven filmed across London and Rome Getty Images

Adele steps into a new world

Adele had often hinted that acting might be in her future. After her Las Vegas shows wrapped last year, she said she wanted time away from music. “I’d love to act after working with Xavier,” she told fans, referring to filmmaker Xavier Dolan who directed Hello. She was once linked to his film The Death and Life of John F. Donovan but did not appear in the final cut.

This time, she is confirmed. The production is already in pre-production stages, with work planned in London and Rome early next year. The cast also includes Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Paul Bettany, Colin Firth, Thandiwe Newton, Mark Strong, and 15-year-old Owen Cooper, who won an Emmy for Netflix’s Adolescence.

Adele begins a new chapter as she joins Tom Ford’s all-star castGetty Images

Tom Ford returns to film

Tom Ford is back behind the camera after a long break. He has written the script himself and will make the film through his own company, Fade to Black. Ford’s earlier work, A Single Man and Nocturnal Animals both stood out for how clean they looked and how tightly they were made.

He is 64 now and last year he said he wanted to devote the next part of his life to cinema. “I loved making films,” he told GQ. “It was the most fun I have ever had. Fashion is a younger man’s game, and I am ready to move on.”

Tom Ford returns to directing with Cry to Heaven after nearly a decade away from filmGetty Images

A story of art and identity

Cry to Heaven will bring together Ford’s detailed visual world and Rice’s layered storytelling. Her novel explores ambition, betrayal and the extremes of art. The film’s world of opera, filled with beauty and cruelty, offers the kind of rich material Ford is known to handle well.

The film will also feature Daryl McCormack, Hunter Schafer and George MacKay. Filming kicks off in January with the full cast on set. The plan is to have it ready for cinemas sometime late next year.

Cry to Heaven - Anne RiceWikipedia Screengrab

Anne Rice’s stories are back in demand lately. Interview with the Vampire and Mayfair Witches have already found new audiences, and Cry to Heaven looks set to follow that path, but this time with Adele right in the centre of it.