Elton John biopic “Rocketman” has been set for a May 16 world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
Taron Egerton stars as John with Paramount Pictures distributing worldwide. It’s directed by Dexter Fletcher, who previously took the reins on Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” after director Bryan Singer was fired.
The film, written by Lee Hall, covers John’s emergence as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music to becoming a music superstar and his partnership with songwriting collaborator Bernie Taupin. John broke out in 1972 with the album “Honky Chateau” and scored a blockbuster with the 1973 album “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” which topped the charts for two months in the U.S. and U.K.
Matthew Vaughn and his Marv Films produced, along with John and his Rocket Pictures partner David Furnish. Adam Bohling and David Reid also produce.
Paramount has a domestic release date of May 31. The studio showed footage to the media and exhibitors at CinemaCon in Las Vegas and a Troubadour Hollywood event.
“We are incredibly honoured and excited to premiere our movie Rocketman at the Cannes film festival on May 16th. This has been a labour of love for all of us and we couldn’t dream of a better launching pad for this very special film,” said Rocket Pictures and Marv Films in a statement.