It will not be a long, long time before we finally see an Elton John biopic on the big screen now that Taron Egerton has been signed to star in Rocketman.
According to Deadline, Paramount Pictures is in talks to finance and distribute the film worldwide. It will be produced by Matthew Vaughn, who directed Egerton in the Kingsman films. Dexter Fletcher is directing.
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Although John is co-producing with his husband David Furnish through their Rocket Pictures, the film is not expected to take a glossy look at the “Crocodile Rock” singer’s life and collaboration with lyricist Bernie Taupin.
Vaughn has been trying to make this movie for years, and with Egerton onboard, it looks like it will finally happen. Egerton is reportedly going to sing himself. Sources told Deadline that producers were “gobsmacked” by his singing talents.
In addition to starring in Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Secret Service films, Vaughn also produced the Edgerton-starring and Fletcher-directed Eddie The Eagle.
Fletcher was also an actor in the Vaughn-produced film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and the Vaughn-directed Layer Cake. He also voiced a character in the Furnish-produced Sherlock Knomes.
In addition, Fletcher helped complete Bohemian Rhapsody, a biopic on Queen singer Freddie Mercury, after Bryan Singer dropped out. Singer was fired from that film because of “unexpected unavailability.” Last month, Variety reported that Bohemian Rhapsody will hit theaters on Dec. 25.
Rocketman comes at a major moment in John’s career. In January, the 71-year-old John announced a massive worldwide “farewell” tour, and was the focus of two new tribute albums, Revamp and Restoration. He was also the subject of a Grammys tribute, Elton John: I’m Still Standing, which aired on CBS on April 10.
John’s long list of iconic hit songs include “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Tiny Dancer,” “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” “I’m Still Standing,” “Levon,” “Rocket Man,” “Your Song” and “Crocodile Rock.” Many of his best-known songs were written with Taupin. His most recent album was 2016’s Wonderful Crazy Night.
“The way we write is random. We don’t write in the same room; we’ve never ‘collaborated’ over a song, really,” John said of his collaboration with Taupin in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning. “No. He gives me a lyric, I go away, and I write the song in another room and come back and play it to him. And in that way, it’s kept everything fresh. And I think it’s the secret of our success — we trust each other. And you know, we’ve never had an argument in 50 years.”
