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'Cats' trailer shows Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson and James Corden as furry felines

Here's the first look at the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical theater classic.
Image: Cats Movie trailer
One Media via YouTube

LOS ANGELES — Universal has released the first trailer for its film adaptation of the Broadway play, "Cats," starring Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson and James Corden.

Based on the book "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" by T.S. Eliot, the musical follows the Jellicle cats, a family of felines who go before the group's leader Old Deuteronomy to see who will be selected to travel to the Heaviside layer for a new life. The original musical won six Tony awards.

However, in this iteration, things are a little different. Instead of actors dressed as cats, as many fans are familiar with in the Broadway production, director Tony Hooper opted to use motion-capture technology, meaning the cats will actually appear as singing furry felines.

The already star-studded cast is completed with another team of big names including Judith Dench (Old Deuteronomy), Rebel Wilson (Jennyanydots), Steven McRae (Skimbleshanks), Ian McKellen (Gus), Jason Derulo (Rum Tum Tugger), and Idris Elba (Macavity).

Jennifer Hudson will star as Grizabella, a former "glamour cat." Taylor Swift plays Bombalurina. Tony winner James Corden portrays Bustopher Jones, a wise and respected member of the Jellicle group.

Along with the team of executive producers, Stephen Spielberg, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Angela Morrison, "Cats" will be produced by Working Title Films in alliance with Monumental Pictures and the Really Useful Group. The film is set to hit theaters Dec. 20. Universal Pictures is owned by Comcast, which also owns NBC News.