Paramount Pictures officially released the first trailer for the upcoming Elton John biopic Rocketman.
Taron Egerton steps into the big shoes of trying to capture the essence of one of the world’s greatest and most flamboyant musicians of all time. The film is directed by Dexter Fletcher, who stepped in to direct Bohemian Rhapsody following Bryan Singer’s departure. Rocketman looks to be in the same vein as the Academy Award-nominated Freddie Mercury biopic.
The trailer gives fans a lot to digest. We get to see Elton John in his early days as a shy boy to his time as a prodigy to his partnership with the man who would write the lyrics for most of his songs. Classic songs from John’s storied history play over the trailer, including “Tiny Dancer.” The film is named after another hit, “Rocket Man.”
Plans for an Elton John biopic date back to early 2012. At one point, Tom Hardy was lined up to play John, and The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey was going to run it. Egerton and Fletcher eventually signed on within the last two years to finally film this.
In addition to Egerton, the cast is loaded. Jamie Bell plays John’s longtime musical partner Bernie Taupin. Golden Globe winner Richard Madden plays Elton John’s agent John Reid. Bryce Dallas Howard portrays John’s mother, Sheila Eileen.
Rocketman is set to hit theaters on May 24, 2019 in the United Kingdom, before coming to the United States on May 31, 2019.