Credit: David Lachappelle
Rocketman, the long-awaited film about the life of Elton John, finally starts filming in London this July and August. The man who’ll portray Elton — actor Taron Egerton — says it takes a lot of preparation to play a real-life legend.
Speaking to Women’s Wear Daily, Egerton, who first met Elton when they both appeared in the movie Kingsman: The Golden Circle, says, “There will be lots of singing and dancing and I am spending my time with Elton John, to emulate him and capture his mannerisms.”
Egerton also reveals, “I am watching old footage and performances from when he was between 17 and 35, adding, “I hope to do him justice.”
While Egerton is playing Elton between the ages of 17 and 35, the movie still needs someone to portray Elton as a kid and as an adolescent. A casting call just went out for those roles, asking for “two boys who are smart, quick-witted and talented actors” who can speak in a London accent.
One boy will play 6-year-old Elton, and he’ll be required, oddly, to sing “The Bitch Is Back” — maybe because the first line of the song is “I was justified/when I was five.”
The second boy will portray Elton from the age of 12 to 14. His voice must have changed, but he can’t be any taller than 5 feet, 4 inches. He’ll be required to sing “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” and “I Want Love.”
Rocketman, directed by Dexter Fletcher — who also co-directed the forthcoming Queen and Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody — will arrive in theaters May 17, 2019. The script was written by Lee Hall, who collaborated with Elton on the hit musical Billy Elliot.
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