Rami Malek might soon earn a Best Actor Academy Award for playing Freddie Mercury, but Bohemian Rhapsody was not nominated for Best Costume Design. That’s an Oscar category a new musical biopic about another legend might snag next year, though, because the first trailer for Rocketman features Taron Egerton wearing a whole lot of Elton John’s most amazing stage costumes. But there’s a lot more to Egerton’s performance than just looking the part; he’s really the one singing those classic hits.
The first official trailer for the film, which describes itself as a “fantasy,” follows Elton John from when he was a quiet boy named Reginald through his rise to become one of the biggest musical acts of all time. The trailer touches on real world material like Elton John’s sexuality and the drug addiction he dealt with as he gained fame and fortune. It also gives us a glimpse of the film’s more magical, surreal scenes. This is one of the most promising parts about this trailer, because it distinguishes itself from a traditional biopic.
Anyone else trying to figure out how this movie fits in with the timeline of Kingsman: The Golden Circle (which featured Elton John playing himself in an amazing role)? No, just me? That’s fair. The rock legend’s style doesn’t really fit with “secret gentleman intelligence service” anyway. But it does make for one good-looking movie. And with Egerton’s performance also sounding so good, Best Costume might not be the only nomination the film gets next year.
Rocketman, directed by Dexter Fletcher (Eddie the Eagle), and also starring Jamie Bell (Fantastic Four) as Elton John’s longtime songwriting collaborator Bernie Taupin, Richard Madden (Game of Thrones, The Bodyguard) as John’s manager and lover John Reid (who was played by Aidan Gillan in Bohemian Rhapsody), and Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World) as John’s mother Sheila Eileen, launches into theaters on May 31.
Featured Image: Paramount Pictures