You’d be forgiven for thinking that it was gonna be a long, long time before we’d see anything from Rocketman, Dexter Fletcher’s upcoming Elton John pic, seeing as it isn't out until next summer. And yet the first teaser trailer has just touched down – showing something that looks to be halfway between an all-singing all-dancing musical, and a classic rise-of-a-star biopic. Donning the massive specs and unflattering hairpiece is Kingsman's Taron Egerton, who can also be heard singing the title song in this early peek.
From the looks of things, this won’t be a sanitised telling of Elton John’s story, teasing all kinds of excess, troubled times, and with a voiceover promising “it’s going to be a wild ride”. Most intriguing of all, it seems the film will indulge in some fantastical stylistic flourishes – the shot of the audience floating in the air while Egerton sings Rocketman is a spin-tingling image, and the tagline features the lovely phrase “based on a true fantasy”. Fletcher is a smart pick for this one, having helmed The Proclaimers musical Sunshine on Leith, and stepped behind the camera to finish up Freddie Mercury flick Bohemian Rhapsody when credited director Bryan Singer left the project. This marks his second time teaming up with Egerton – the duo previously made Eddie the Eagle together.
We’ll get the full story of Elton John's ascent to stardom when Rocketman launches into UK cinemas on 31 May next year.
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