Fans of larger than life, music legend Elton John, will be delighted to know that Paramount Pictures will finally run “Rocketman” for theater viewing starting on May 22, 2019 in the UK and on May 31, 2019 in the U.S. Those interested to see this Elton John biopic ahead of those dates, can watch the premiere showing at Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2019.
Actually, Elton John announced plans about the making of his biopic as early as January 2012. The movie though, started filming only in August 2018. That was after the final cast was set in July 2017.
°Rocketman” Director and Lead Actor to Play Elton John
Elton John’s personal choice of actor to portray him was Justin Timberlake. Still, other potential candidates were considered including Tom Hardy, Taron Egerton and Michael Gracey. Finally, the ultimate choice to play the lead role as Elton John is Taron Egerton, along with supporting roles played by Jamie Bell (Bernie Taupin), Richard Madden (John Reid), Bryce Dallas Howard (Sheila Eileen) and several others.
After going through a number of directors, Dexter Fletcher signed in to finally take charge of filming the musical bio-film based on the life of Elton John, and on the screenplay written by English playwright Lee Hall.
“Rocketman” Storyline
Titled after Elton John’s 1972 hit single “Rocket Man”. The film re-lives Elton’s life story, starting from his early years as a young prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music. It narrates John’s enduring musical collaborations with long time partner Bernie Taupin, himself a well-known English lyricist, singer and poet. The movie tells with candor Elton John’s struggles through the years in overcoming depression, drug abuse, and the eventual acceptance of his sexual orientation.
According to a CinemaCon interview with Taron Egerton, “Rocketman” presentation is more of a fantasy-musical, in which Egerton himself sang songs produced by the project’s music director Giles Martin.