Taron Egerton Flies in Style as Elton John in First Look at ‘Rocketman’

The upcoming Rocketman offers a glimpse into the life of Elton John, with Taron Egerton starring as the iconic musician in the Paramount Pictures film. On Friday, a first-look image was released from the film, giving fans a glimpse at Egerton’s transformation into the British singer for the first time.

The shot finds Egerton reclining on a striped sofa on a private jet, with the 28-year-old sporting a gold lamé jacket and a likely pair of short shorts that show off his legs in a very era-appropriate style.

Colorful sneakers with golden wings and a pair of John’s signature embellished sunglasses complete the ’70s-inspired look.

The movie, which Paramount describes as “an epic musical fantasy about the uncensored human story of Sir Elton John’s breakthrough years,” is a musical and uses John’s songs to illustrate various events in the musician’s life.

Deadline shares that the film chronicles John’s time at the Royal Academy of Music through his rise to superstardom during the early ’70s, which saw him release his Honky Chateau and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road albums.

Egerton himself called the movie a “fantasy musical,” according to CinemaBlend.

“Everyone thinks it’s a bio-pic. It isn’t,” the Kingsman star said. “It’s a fantasy musical so it’s actually his songs used to express important beats in his life at emotional moments. He’s not the only character that sings. It’s going to be fun.”

Rocketman also stars Jamie Bell, Richard Madden and Bryce Dallas Howard and is directed by Dexter Fletcher. The film is scheduled for release on May 31, 2019.

A trailer for the movie will be released on Monday, with Egerton writing on Twitter, “Can’t wait for you all to see the trailer Monday. Words cannot describe how proud and excited I am.”

John also shared the first-look photo on his Instagram page, writing, “Hold on to your glasses, this is going to be a wild ride!!”

Rocketman won’t be the first time Egerton has performed John’s music, as the actor previously sang the icon’s “I’m Still Standing” during his turn as a gorilla named Johnny in the 2016 animated flick Sing.

Ahead of the John-inspired film, audiences can see Egerton as the titular hero in Robin Hood, which will be released on Nov. 21.

Photo Credit: Getty / Fred Duval