ⓒCourtesy of Columbia Pictures, “You Will Never Get Rich”

Monica Barbaro (“One Night Only,” “A Complete Unknown”) and Margaret Qualley (“The Dog Stars,” “The Substance”) are said to be the leading candidates to play the female leading role alongside Tom Holland in the upcoming Fred Astaire biopic at Sony Pictures.

Holland will take on the role of the legendary tap dancer, singer, and actor for “Paddington” and “Wonka,” filmmaker Paul King. The start of production is set for January.

Page Six Hollywood (via WoR) revealed the selection of the lead actress with two candidates under consideration: Adele Astaire, whose older sibling, Fred, performed and danced alongside her in vaudeville shows and on Broadway.

Both Barbaro and Qualley, being classically trained ballet dancers, are assisting to be the candidates. Holland recently stated that he will not employ a doubles in the Astaire biopic and that he plans to handle all the dancing himself.

Amy Pascal is producing the film, a passion project for Holland that has taken years but is finally reaching the stage of actual filming.

There has been minor controversy surrounding the movie as the Astaire estate claims that in the late actor’s Will, Fred explicitly stated his disapproval of his life being portrayed on screen.