Taron Egerton as Elton John in "Rocketman"

[Schlosser85]

In preparation for playing the '70s rock icon in the biopic "Rocketman," the actor tells THR he's been trying on Elton's old clothing -- he's especially a fan of track suits.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/elton-john-biopic-tom-hardy-655709

Damn it, Hardy, pics or it didn't happen.

 

[Schlosser85]

Apparently this is still set to film this fall.

Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall says his new biopic about Sir Elton John will tell the singer's life story "from birth to rehab".

Starring Tom Hardy as the flamboyant musician, the film will be "about all the trouble he got into," he added.

Speaking to presenter John Wilson, Hall said Sir Elton had given him "incredible free rein" on the script.

"One day, he took me to his house and opened a safe and he had all his private diaries that nobody had seen from when he was in rehab and left me there to read all this stuff.

"But he's never commented once on the script, he hasn't interfered at all."

"It's an absolutely huge, crazy Technicolor affair."

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-28459420

I still have a mighty hard time picturing Tom Hardy as Elton John, but this is so far removed from Hardy's usual brooding strongman that I want to see it on that score alone just to see Hardy do something wildly different.

Hardy's not usually exactly flamboyant, but Bronson I think proves he can be, although that was in a different way.

If he pulls this off....I will be impressed. Not convinced it's gonna happen though.

 

[StarLord]

I think Elton had a bit of an attitude in those days, he may not have been physically intimidating but he certainly wasn't afraid to speak his mind.

 

[Schlosser85]

I think Elton's always been kind of a diva, honestly.

 

[Deserana]

For some reason I keep thinking Hardy is gonna drop out of this. I think it's cause he's been doing so many things that he's gonna have to drop out of something soon.

 

[terry78]

He can't do everything.

 

[Schlosser85]

I thought so too, especially considering Rocketman is scheduled to film this fall, but Hardy also just signed on for The Revenant with DiCaprio, which was supposed to film in Canada in September.

I don't see how those are both gonna work out, unless The Revenant's troubles getting financing push it far back enough that Hardy can get Rocketman done first. But then in January Hardy's supposed to start a BBC historical miniseries with Ridley Scott, which Hardy is both producing and starring in and seems pretty invested in.

Hardy's already dropped out of Everest, The Outsider, and the Whitey Bulger biopic with Johnny Depp, and he keeps piling on more projects.

Honestly, I'd rather he drop out of something like The Revenant, which sounds like a supporting role where he probably wouldn't have that much screentime compared to DiCaprio, and keep Rocketman, where he's the star and also playing wildly against type.

 

[Sawyer]

Is this still happening? I've heard literally nothing since just after Hardy was brought on-board.

 

[kvz5]

I think it's having financing problems. I don't think any of the official trades reported it but in one of the Sony hack emails posted in another place, one of the producers was asking Sony for help (producing? distributing?) and they passed.

 

[MadVillainy]

Is this still happening? I've heard literally nothing since just after Hardy was brought on-board.

I think this is going through the same thing I was talking about in the Richard Pryor thread.

 

[Schlosser85]

Is Hardy even attached? He keeps adding new projects.

 

[Octoberist]

Yeah, and what happened to Splinter Cell?

 

[kvz5]

I'm guessing dead like that Everest project with Liman?

 

[Schlosser85]

Yeah, and what happened to Splinter Cell?

Doug Liman keeps occasionally promoting Splinter Cell, claiming how awesome the script is, etc., and insisting it's happening, but yea, it seems to be hanging in production limbo.

Hardy dropped out of Everest a while ago, along with Takashi Miike's English language debut The Outsider.

 

[Octoberist]

It broke my heart when Hardy dropped out of Miike's Outsider. Eventaully, Miike left too.

 

[Sawyer]

Something occurred to me the other day.... why not Ewan McGregor?

I mean, granted, he's significantly better looking than Elton was too, but it at least seems to be in the realm of believability, which can't really be said for Hardy playing the role.

 

[Alien Anal]

The idea that Ewan can be suggested for both Elton john and Kurt Cobain i find funny

 

[terry78]

http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2017/07/20/taron-egerton-is-a-rocketman-and-tom-hardy-isnt

Heard this on the radio this morning and this is the only link I see, but apparently Egerton is taking over for Hardy. Don't know how viable.

 

[harlequinade]

At this point when Hardy says he is in something I won't believe it until my a** is on the seat and I see him on the movie screen

 

[Sawyer]

I love Hardy, but his facial features would've been a weird match for Elton.

Egerton's kind of blandly attractive. He'd be like a blank slate to recreate Elton's Alfred E. Neuman looking face.

 

[Schlosser85]

Hardy signs up for a hundred projects and then drops out of all of them.

I don't see Taron Egerton as Elton either but whatever.

I had mixed feelings about Hardy as Elton. It'd take a hell of a lot to get me to buy Tom Hardy as Elton John, but part of me wanted to see him try.

 

[Bruce Malone]

Danny Elfman should play Elton

 

[James.B]

Paramount Greenlighting ‘Rocketman’; Taron Egerton To Sing Elton John’s Songs

Paramount Pictures is closing a deal to finance and distribute worldwide Rocketman, a picture package that has Dexter Fletcher directing Taron Egerton in the role of Elton John, through the course of a most iconic life. The film covers the singer/pianist’s growth from a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music to a global superstar, through his influential and enduring musical partnership with his songwriting collaborator Bernie Taupin. It is an unvarnished rock ‘n’ roll biopic with John’s life stripped back of the glitter.

Egerton, who has not hidden his wish to play this role, will sing the songs himself, and sources said that everyone who has heard him has been gobsmacked by the quality of his voice and its proximity to the subject as Egerton sang numerous of his classics. Vaughn has been a driving force in getting this long gestating picture to the starting line, and the plan is to start production in August. Vaughn and Egerton have been frequent collaborators with Egerton, both in the Vaughn-directed Kingsmen: The Secret Service films, and also as producer of Eddie the Eagle, which Fletcher directed with Egerton starring.

http://deadline.com/2018/04/elton-john-rocketman-taron-egerton-dexter-fletcher-paramount-matthew-vaughn-david-furnish-1202367495/amp/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&__twitter_impression=true

 

[Schlosser85]

So we've gone from Tom Hardy to Taron Egerton.....as Elton John.

 

[Hurm...]

Disappointing.