We love reading the classics, and we love listening to music from our favorite pop stars. But what happens when those worlds collide? Pop stars have been making the crossover into acting forever, and sometimes they have made appearances in classic adaptations. Brandy and Whitney Houston’s iconic roles in the 1997 Cinderella comes to mind. But in recent bookish news, it seems like we’re seeing more and more pop stars attached to upcoming classic adaptations. Here’s all the recent news coming out about pop stars who have been considered for roles in classic adaptations!
Sabrina Carpenter in Alice in Wonderland
Pop singer Sabrina Carpenter has long been a fan of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, and now the pop star is producing and starring in her own Alice adaptation. Carpenter is producing the project alongside Marc Platt through the Universal-based Marc Platt Productions. Leslie Morgenstein and Elysa Koplovitz Dutton will also produce through Alloy Entertainment. According to sources, Carpenter has been working on this project since 2024, and it is expected to be a musical.
Billie Eilish in The Bell Jar
While pop singers like Sabrina Carpenter have acted and worked in film adaptations before (see: The Hate U Give, Horns), Billie Eilish is set to make her acting debut in the upcoming film adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar. Eilish is in advanced talks to play the lead character, Esther Greenwood. Actor, writer, and director Sarah Polley will direct the film, and it’s being produced by Joy Gorman Wettels (Little House on the Prairie, 13 Reasons Why), Plan B Entertainment, and StudioCanal.
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Lisa in Tangled
BLACKPINK’s Lisa maybe didn’t end up making the final cut for the live-action Tangled adaptation (Disney’s version of the classic fairy tale Rapunzel). But at one point, Lisa was being considered for the lead role. It has since been announced that Teagan Croft landed the role of Rapunzel, with Milo Manheim as Flynn Rider and Kathryn Hahn as Mother Gothel. Lisa made her acting debut last year in HBO’s third season of The White Lotus, and the K-Pop star is also set to appear in the upcoming Netflix action film Extraction: Tiger. So maybe some other classic film adaptation is in Lisa’s future? K-Pop fans can only hope!
Which Pop Stars Would You Like to See in Film Adaptations?
Speaking of pop stars we hope to see in classic adaptations, which pop stars would you like to see make the jump from singing to acting? Charli XCX has made a huge pivot to acting this year, and in 2025, the singer starred in the film adaptation of The One Hundred Nights of Hero, a graphic novel by Isabel Greenberg. So maybe she’s due for a classic film adaptation soon?
Meanwhile, Lisa’s BLACKPINK co-members Jennie and Jisoo have also proven their acting chops recently. Jisoo’s K-drama Boyfriend on Demand hit Netflix earlier this month, and we’d love to see her in a classic romance story next. Jennie was in The Idol, which also featured pop stars Troye Sivan and The Weeknd. And while maybe The Weeknd has overstayed his welcome as an actor after several critical flops, maybe there’s still hope for Australian pop singer Troye Sivan and K-pop diva Jennie?
Call up the casting agents now! Let’s get these fabulous singers in more book adaptations.
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