Right now the movie BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY may be the rock and roll biopic on everyone’s mind, but come this summer it will be the Elton John biopic ROCKETMAN’s time to shine. KINGSMAN star Taron Egerton gives what looks like a tour-de-force performance as John, portraying the rock icon’s life through various points in his career and, most impressively, singing all the classic John songs himself. In prep for a new trailer on Thursday a new featurette has dropped focusing all on Egerton’s transformation, showing off more of his incredible singing chops that prove why he’s the man to bring the Rocketman to the big screen.
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Showing off plenty of new footage and a letting Egerton belt “Tiny Dancer” for most of the trailer, this is an even better showcase of the movie than the first teaser trailer we got some months ago. That one teased more of the basic biopic elements while getting to the actual singing and grander moments towards the end. Here its all about the music and capitalizing on the fact this more of a biopic in way of a fantastical musical, with plenty of big numbers, elaborate costumes and Egerton right in the middle.
“Elton said, ‘I don’t think I’ve heard anyone sing my songs better than Taron,’” says music producer Giles Martin in the feature. “And the great thing about Elton is he wants Taron’s interpretation of his songs.”
He continued, saying, “I don’t think there’s anyone in the world who could’ve played Elton; It’s Taron’s role.”
On top of a new feature, Paramount unveiled a new official poster for the movie, showing Egerton rocking out as John in front of thousands of adoring fans.
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While I have to admit the first trailer left me a bit more curious than 100 percent sold – mostly because we didn’t get to hear Egerton sing as much – this new trailer has me invested in this thing entirely. While it took me a second to get into Egerton’s singing as he started “Dancer” here, it quickly becomes apparent he’s the right man for the job as he gets more into it, sounding enough like Elton at times to pay respect to the icon while still very much doing his own thing. Then having that played over footage of the movie really sells how it will look and feel like a big musical that honors his music, while also finding a unique approach to the biopic genre. It’s at the point now where I think a May release is a little curious, as an awards season slot in the fall may be a more suitable placement.
Here’s the synopsis:
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.
Directed by Dexter Fletcher (EDDIE THE EAGLE, taking over for Bryan Singer on BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY) and also starring Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Gemma Jones and Bryce Dallas Howard, ROCKETMAN is in theaters May 31.