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Oct 01, 2018 By Christopher Roberts Dexter Fletcher

Rocketman is a biopic about Elton John. It stars Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service) as John and was directed by Dexter Fletcher. Now the first teaser trailer has been shared. The film has been described more as a musical-fantasy than a straight-up biopic and the trailer shows off some moments that are both fantastical and seem like a classic musical. Rocketman is due out on May 31, 2019 via Paramount. Watch the trailer below.

The film has been in development for several years and back in 2013 Tom Hardy was originally cast as Elton John, with Michael Gracey set to direct (he would later direct a different musical biopic, 2017’s The Greatest Showman, with Hugh Jackman playing P.T. Barnum). In fact, when the project was first announced in 2012, John expressed his desire to have Justin Timberlake play him. British actor turned director Dexter Fletcher took over around the same time Taron Egerton was cast. Fletcher previously directed Egerton in another biopic, 2016’s Eddie the Eagle (about British skier Eddie Edwards, it co-starred Jackman). More interestingly, Fletcher was brought in to finish this fall’s Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody after original director Bryan Singer was fired from that film (although Singer had already filmed around two-thirds of the film and is getting the sole directing credit). Rocketman also stars Bryce Dallas Howard as John’s mother, Jamie Bell as John’s lyricist/writing partner Bernie Taupin, Richard Madden as John’s longtime manager John Reid, and Gemma Jones. Lee Hall wrote the screenplay.

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