Bohemian Rhapsody made over $800 million at the worldwide box office and was nominated for five Oscars, so expect a run of music biopics (which Dewey Cox momentarily killed) in the coming years, beginning with Rocketman. There’s one big difference between that film and Bohemian, however, besides one covering Freddie Mercury and the other Elton John: Rocketman is presenting itself as a “musical fantasy,” not a straight-forward biography. Think Bohemian Rhapsody meets Across the Universe, with bonus Donald Duck.
Here’s the official plot synopsis:
Rocketman is an epic musical fantasy about the incredible human story of Elton John’s breakthrough years. The film follows the fantastical journey of transformation from shy piano prodigy Reginald Dwight into international superstar Elton John. This inspirational story – set to Elton John’s most beloved songs and performed by star Taron Egerton – tells the universally relatable story of how a small-town boy became one of the most iconic figures in pop culture. Rocketman also stars Jamie Bell as Elton’s longtime lyricist and writing partner Bernie Taupin, Richard Madden as Elton’s first manager, John Reid, and Bryce Dallas Howard as Elton’s mother Sheila Farebrother.
Between Robb Stark in this movie and Ramsay Bolton in The Dirt, we’re living in the golden era of Game of Thrones actors in music-based movies. Rocketman opens on May 31.
