That opening riff from Bennie and the Jets. The lyrical swell of the chorus for Rocketman. The musical catalogue of Sir Elton John is unmistakable, and it's likely going to power this incredibly impressive-looking biopic, Rocketman, which will star Kingsman standout Taron Egerton in the title role. Check out this first-look trailer for yourself:
We're currently in a decent run of biopics for rock icons who came up in the 1960s and 70s, and they're led by young talent who are doing brilliant impressions of the lead subjects. Shortly after audiences check out Rami Malek as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, they'll be able to start anticipating Taron Egerton's take on Sir Elton John in Rocketman.
And yes, that song WILL be in your head all day now that you have watched the trailer.
Directed by Dexter Fletcher, who previously guided Taron Egerton through the ski-jump drama Eddie the Eagle, Rocketman looks to hit on the expected beats on the musical journey of a rock star's life. There's triumph on the stage, the hint of a medical emergency, the knowing glance of romance, and -- because it's Elton John -- more stylish transformations that basically any other movie could compete with. Egerton certainly looks the part, but the oversized glasses and sparkly suits no doubt help his transformation into the brilliant mind behind Your Song, Tiny Dancer and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
The key to the success of Rocketman will be the music. Some biopics have to dance around the fact that the musician being profiled doesn't want to cough up the rights to all of his or her (or their) greatest hits. But the Rocketman trailer leans heavily into the song catalogue of Sir Elton John, which just means that buying a ticket to Dexter Fletcher's drama will be a traipse through the iconic singer-songwriter's career, as well as a cheaper alternative if you can't afford a ticket to Elton John's farewell live tour (where seats are going for an average of $300 per city).
This is a fun tease for Paramount's Rocketman, but now the movie goes on the shelf for a bit more post-production fine tuning, as the studio isn't due to get it into theaters until May 31, 2019. This likely means that the teaser will be attached to Bohemian Rhapsody, to appeal to the same audience base, but then Paramount will test its luck with what's sure to be a competitive Summer Blockbuster Season (oh, hello, Avengers 4). Want to know what else is opening in theaters in 2019? Bookmark our 2019 Movie Release Schedule to stay up to date.
