After the massive financial and Oscar-winning success of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the upcoming “Rocketman” appears to be poised to carry the musical drama torch into 2019. Early buzz surrounding the Elton John biopic is pretty encouraging, and just last week, the crowd at CinemaCon went nuts for a six-minute sizzle reel from the Dexter Fletcher-directed film. Now, according to reports, “Rocketman” is all set up to debut on one of the biggest film stages of the year – Cannes.
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THR is reporting that “Rocketman” is expected to be one of the films that are announced in just about a week-and-a-half as part of the official Cannes Film Festival lineup. The film is a big “get” for the French film festival that loves to invite big names and high-profile projects to the event. And considering the film is set to open shortly after Cannes wraps up, it makes sense that Paramount would want to debut “Rocketman” with a ton of fanfare.
“Rocketman,” as mentioned, is the Elton John biopic that stars Taron Egerton, who is best known for his roles in the “Kingsman” films, as well as the recent “Robin Hood,” but he’d probably want most people to forget that last bit. Unlike “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the new musical drama seems to be taking a bit more of an artistic approach to the subject matter, blending a bit of fantasy with the true story of John’s rise and success. And also unlike the Freddie Mercury biopic, the star of this new film (Egerton) is providing his own vocals to the film.
Debuting a big film like “Rocketman” at Cannes right before its theatrical release is a risky proposition for a studio. Unlike a typical premiere, all eyes are on Cannes in May and if your film doesn’t do well with critics and audiences there, it could spell doom for word-of-mouth. However, it also shows a lot of confidence in Fletcher’s film that Paramount is ready to screen the highly-anticipated film on such a large stage.
The official announcement is coming in a matter of days, and Cannes is scheduled to begin on May 14. Those not in France at that time can see “Rocketman” in theaters on May 31.