Adele steps into Hollywood: The singer makes her bold acting debut in Tom Ford’s “Cry to Heaven”
For more than a decade, Adele has commanded stages and hearts across the world with her powerhouse vocals and emotionally raw lyrics. Now, the Grammy-winning British superstar is turning the page — this time on a movie script.
After announcing a creative break from music, the 37-year-old “Rolling in the Deep” hitmaker is set to make her acting debut in the upcoming Tom Ford-directed film Cry to Heaven — a lavish adaptation of Anne Rice’s 1982 novel of the same name.
It’s a move that has both Hollywood and her global fanbase buzzing with curiosity: can one of the world’s most celebrated singers conquer the big screen too?
From concert halls to cinema sets
Adele’s last major music project was her 2021 album 30, followed by her record-breaking “Weekends with Adele” concert residency in Las Vegas, which wrapped in 2024. After the final curtain fell, she told fans she planned to take “a big break” to explore “other creative things for a little while.”
Now, that “little while” has turned into a serious artistic pivot — from chart-topping hits to film sets in London and Rome, where production is expected to begin in January 2026.
The film, written and directed by Tom Ford, is set in 18th-century Italy and explores love, betrayal, and identity through the story of a Venetian nobleman and a castrated opera singer whose lives become deeply entangled.
The project brings together an all-star cast that includes Thandiwe Newton, Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Colin Firth, and Paul Bettany, making it one of the most anticipated productions in years.
Tom Ford’s grand return to film
Fashion designer Tom Ford, known for turning style into cinematic storytelling, hasn’t directed a film in nearly a decade. His last movie, Nocturnal Animals (2016), earned two BAFTA nominations and cemented his reputation as a filmmaker with an elegant, psychological edge.
Following the sale of his fashion empire to Estée Lauder for £2.4 billion (over R53 billion) in 2022, Ford announced his plan to step away from fashion altogether.
“I will say goodbye to fashion to focus entirely on filmmaking for the next twenty years,” he told reporters at the time.
Cry to Heaven will be his third feature, following A Single Man (2009) and Nocturnal Animals (2016), and marks a major comeback to the director’s chair.
Adele’s cinematic moment
While Adele’s exact role has not yet been revealed, industry insiders suggest it could be one that draws on her natural charisma and emotional range, traits that have defined her musical career. Given the film’s operatic and period setting, fans are already speculating about whether Adele will perform musically within the story, blurring the line between her two artistic worlds.
Social media has been alight with reactions. One fan posted on X (formerly Twitter):
“Adele in a Tom Ford film? That’s elegance, drama, and chaos all rolled into one. I’m here for it.”
Another wrote:
“We’ve cried to her songs. Now we’ll cry to her acting.”
It’s the kind of excitement only Adele can spark, a mix of curiosity, pride, and a dash of disbelief.
A new era for Adele
This move isn’t just about trying something new. It’s about evolution. Adele has always been an artist who moves with intention, from her early heartbreak anthems to her mature reflections on motherhood and fame. Acting could be her next frontier, one where she channels emotion not through melody, but through character.
If her musical storytelling is anything to go by, her transition to film might just feel like a natural next act.
As Cry to Heaven heads into production, one thing’s for certain: Adele’s next standing ovation may come not from a concert stage, but from a cinema audience.
And knowing her track record, she’s unlikely to miss a note.
Source: IOL
Featured Image: X{@PopBase}
