There’s a certain music biopic that came out last year, was a massive hit, and is in the middle of the awards race at the moment, and yet its star is simply lip syncing the songs made famous by the film’s subject. That won’t be the case with the upcomingElton JohnbiopicRocketman, in which we’ll get to see the film’s star tackling the songs all by himself.
A new behind-the-scenes featuette forRocketmanzeroes in on this fact, as it allows us to watch and hearTaron Egerton’s rendition of “Tiny Dancer.” And it’s good! Elton John has a pretty singular voice, but what we’ve heard thus far fromRocketmanis pretty promising, as Egerton appears to really nail what made John so special. And those who sawSingalready know that Egerton has a terrific voice.
The film has been in the works for a long while, and at one pointTom Hardywas attached to play Elton John. But I think things probably worked out as they should have so that Egerton could come in and really nail the singing ability. He’s also a terrific actor to boot, and I’m excited to see how this film differs fromBohemian Rhapsody. Curiously enough, the director ofRocketman—Dexter Fletcher—was previously attached toBohemian Rhapsodyand fell off the project, only to be asked to come in and finish the movie when the film’s directorBryan Singerwas fired during production. So withRocketman, we get to see Fletcher’s full artistic vision for a music biopic.
Check out the newRocketmanfeaturette and poster below. The film also starsJamie Bell,Richard Madden,Gemma Jones, andBryce Dallas Howard.Rocketmanopens in theaters on May 31st.
Here’s the official synopsis forRocketman:
ROCKETMAN is an epic musical fantasy about the incredible human story of Elton John’s breakthrough years. The film follows the fantastical journey of transformation from shy piano prodigy Reginald Dwight into international superstar Elton John. This inspirational story – set to Elton John’s most beloved songs and performed by star Taron Egerton – tells the universally relatable story of how a small-town boy became one of the most iconic figures in pop culture. ROCKETMAN also stars Jamie Bell as Elton’s longtime lyricist and writing partner Bernie Taupin, Richard Madden as Elton’s first manager, John Reid, and Bryce Dallas Howard as Elton’s mother Sheila Farebrother.
