The first trailer for Rocketman has been released and it looks like a whole lot of fun, frivolity and drama.
Paramount Pictures released the first teaser trailer for Rocketman, the upcoming blockbuster film about Elton John’s life, on Monday, describing the movie “an epic musical fantasy” and “an uncensored human story”.
“There are moments in a rockstar’s life that define who he is,” the trailer’s narrator says. “Where there was darkness there is no you, and it’s going to be a wild ride.”
Per the official plot synopsis, the minute-long trailer starring Kingsman’s Taron Egerton as Elton, details the singer’s life, from his years as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music and his influential and enduring musical partnership with Bernie Taupin.
With a relationship spanning 50 years, Elton and Bernie have produced more than 30 gold and platinum albums since they first met in London in 1967. Some of their biggest hits include ‘Bennie and the Jets’, ‘Your Song’, ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’, ‘Candle in the Wind’ and ‘I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues’.
The cast also includes Jamie Bell as Bernie (you might remember him as the star of Billy Elliot), Richard Madden, Gemma Jones, and Bryce Dallas Howard, who plays Elton’s mother. English actor Dexter Fletcher, who previously worked with Taron in Eddie the Eagle, is directing.
“Everyone thinks it’s a bio-pic. It isn’t,” Fletcher told Collider in May. “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.”
While the film covers much of Elton’s life it’s not yet known how deep it will delve into his past. The singer, who was married to Renate Blauel from 1984 to 1988 before he came out as gay, has been at the centre of public spats with some of the world’s biggest stars, including Madonna and Rod Stewart, and endured a rocky relationship with his mother up until her death in 2017.
Elton has been married to David Furnish since 2005, with whom he shares sons, Zachary and Elijah, but the film doesn’t appear to focus on that part of the singer’s life.
The trailer features the usual biopic beats, concert and studio footage, glamorous parties, and of course Elton’s quirky and flamboyant style. Rocketman is set to hit cinemas in May 2019.
The legendary singer recently announced a three-year farewell tour, and released two new cover albums paying homage to his music, Revamp and Restoration.