Taylor Swift to collaborate with Andrew Lloyd-Webber on song for 'Cats' movie

Taylor Swift and composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber have penned a new original song for the forthcoming Cats movie, it's been announced.

Called Beautiful Ghosts, it will feature in both in the movie itself, and as performed by Swift in the film's closing credits.

In the movie, it will be performed by Royal Ballet principal dancer Francesca Hayward, who plays the lead role of Victoria the White Cat.

Said Lloyd-Webber: “When I first read the screenplay, the first thing I said was, ‘We have to have a song for Victoria.’

“Beautiful Ghosts [is] an incredibly important and central part of the whole film.”

Added director Tom Hooper: “What I couldn’t believe was the extraordinary beauty of these lyrics that Taylor had written.

“It was as if someone had come into the film I was in the middle of making and… had reflected back to me a profound understanding of what we are trying to do with the movie. It was utterly thrilling.”

In the movie, Swift plays the role of Bombulrina, among a star-studded cast.

Read more: People are horrified about the Cats trailer

Elsewhere, James Corden plays Bustopher Jones, Judi Dench is Old Deuteronomy, Jason Derulo is Rum Tum Tugger, Idris Elba is Macavity, Jennifer Hudson is Grizabella, Sir Ian McKellen is Gus the Theatre Cat and Rebel Wilson is Jennyanydots.

Meanwhile, French choreographers Les Twins play Plato and Socrates.

The first trailer for the film arrived in July this year, though not perhaps to the reception Hooper and Lloyd-Webber were hoping.

It seems transforming actors into CGI cats creeped a few folk out.

Wilson spoke soon after about the clip's polarising effect.

She told Cosmo: “When the trailer came out, the response was pretty massive.

“There’s some people who were like, ‘Oh my God’ because it is brand-new technology that’s CGI. I think people get confused because it’s essentially a dance movie in a lot of ways.

“So it really is all our own bodies. And yes, they’re covered in fur. I think some people found it a bit creepy ’cause we’re people but we look a bit like cats dancing around. I loved the reaction.

“I think it was a bit polarising and people will be super curious to see the finished product. What you got in that trailer was just some small samples of it, but it’s going to be such a big movie. And the cast is obviously incredible.”

Indeed it is.

Cats is due out on 20 December.