Sabrina Carpenter is making her big-screen debut in a major way. The pop sensation will star in and produce a new musical film at Universal Pictures, marking her first lead role in a studio feature.
The untitled project takes inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s classic novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, reimagined through a modern, musical lens. Lorene Scafaria, known for directing Hustlers and episodes of Succession, is set to write and direct the film.
Carpenter will also produce the movie alongside Marc Platt (La La Land, Wicked) through his Universal-based Marc Platt Productions, with Leslie Morgenstein and Elysa Koplovitz Dutton producing for Alloy Entertainment.
The news comes just a week after Carpenter earned six Grammy nominations for her album Man’s Best Friend, including Album, Record, and Song of the Year. Though she previously appeared in The Hate U Give and Netflix’s Tall Girl films, this marks her return to acting after focusing heavily on music following her 2024 breakout album Short n’ Sweet.
Sources close to the production revealed that Carpenter first pitched the concept to Universal in 2024, leading to Scafaria’s involvement and eventual greenlight. Scafaria brings an impressive résumé, having written and directed Hustlers (which grossed over $100 million domestically) and upcoming A24 thriller Jonty starring Jesse Plemons.
Interestingly, Carpenter had previously developed an Alice in Wonderland musical with Netflix in 2020 through her company At Last Productions, but that project was never completed.
Ryan Jones and Jacqueline Garell of Universal will oversee production development, with Katie McNicol supervising for Marc Platt Productions.
With her chart-topping music career and growing film credentials, Carpenter’s next act may be her boldest yet — and this time, she’s heading down the rabbit hole.
SOURCE: Variety