Elton John biopic Rocketman** has been in the works for a couple of years now, and Tom Hardy’s name has often been bandied about as a possible choice for the main man, most recently by the team at Hitfix. Now the official word has come from Focus Features that Hardy is indeed going to play the artist formerly known as Reginald Dwight{
With Lee Hall scripting and Michael Gracey directing, Rocketman promises to be a different kind of biopic, jumping around in time and taking fantastical visual leaps (which seems fitting for Sir Elton). John, who is producing via his Rocket Pictures company, is re-recording some of his greatest hits for the film.
“Tom is a stellar talent who will add extraordinary depth and nuance in bringing Elton’s story to life,” Rocket Pictures’ Steve Hamilton Shaw says in a press release tracked down by Screen International. “We are excited to have such a gifted actor on board, and equally excited to be in the hands of Peter Schlessel and the entire Focus Features team.”
“Tom is quickly becoming known as one of the world’s most versatile actors, and like others at the top of their craft, he has proven his ability to transform himself completely into the character or subject found in the material,” says Schlessel, who has just taken over at Focus and brought the film with him from FilmDistrict.
Gracey is set to start shooting Rocketman later in 2014.