Finding the right person for a musical biopic is difficult; even when you think you’ve found your man, it’s not quite right and casting can change. So is the case for Elton John biopic Rocketman. Taron Egerton has been called upon to replace Tom Hardy, with whom he starred alongside in Legend (2015), as Elton John.
Taron Egerton is no stranger to biopics, having recently played British ski jumper Eddie the Eagle in the same-titled 2016 film. His appointment, I imagine, will be much better received than Tom Hardy’s. Though a loved actor, his likeness and inability to sing rendered the casting a disaster from the start, delaying the projected 2014 production start.
The Kingsman star, on the other hand, is an able singer and, quite conveniently, sang a rendition of Elton John anthem “I’m Still Standing” in animated movie Sing (2016).
Rocketman will be directed by Eddie the Eagle helmer Dexter Fletcher, with a script by Lee Hall (War Horse, Billy Elliot). The film will cover John’s childhood and rise to fame, as well as the controversies he faced to become a legend. Elton John produces.
We shouldn’t expect the film to arrive any time soon. In the meantime, watch Egerton sing Elton John as an animated ape below.
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