In order to land the lead role, Welsh actor Taron Egerton was required to sing each of Elton John‘s hits in the upcoming biopic, Rocketman.
Ahead of its release, fans hoping to catch the movie have now been given a taster of the 29-year-old’s vocal abilities.
Egerton’s rendition of the timeless classic, Rocket Man, was put out on YouTube on Wednesday morning and has already surprised tens of thousands of avid John listeners across the globe.
To the disbelief of many, the actor’s performance was 100 per cent authentic and will be included on the film’s official soundtrack — Rocketman: Music From the Motion Picture — which drops on May 24.
The album drops a week before Rocketman’s worldwide premiere and features some of John’s biggest singles, including Your Song, Tiny Dancer and Crocodile Rock.
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The actor’s “stunning” performance — according to many fans and John himself — has begun to spark excitement for his role in the long-awaited film.
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“It was so important that the music I composed and recorded had to be sung by Taron,” John, 72, told Rolling Stone. “I wanted his interpretation of me, through Bernie’s lyrics and my music — not just acting.”
“I left Taron in the hands of Giles Martin,” he added, “who I trusted implicitly because he’s brilliant. I didn’t want to be in Taron’s shadows, watching over the process.”
“I trusted them to do what they needed to do artistically, and listening back, I’ve been astonished with the results,” continued John. “Getting the music right was the most important thing, as the songs in the film are integral to the story.”
Egerton added: “The beauty of having Elton involved with the film is we’ve been able to work with him to see how far we can take these classic songs.”
“Giles Martin has impeccable taste and massive skills to bring the songs to a place where they are faithful and daring as well,” he concluded.
Rocketman was directed by Dexter Fletcher. He previously directed Egerton as the lead role for Eddie the Eagle — the 2016 biopic about professional Olympic ski-jumper, Michael Edwards.
Fletcher, 53, is best known for taking over as director for the four-time Oscar-winning Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), which became a huge success.
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Rocketman hits theatres across North America on May 31.
Tickets and screenings in Canada can be found through Cineplex.
Egerton’s refreshing rendition of Rocket Man can be heard here. Pre-orders for Rocketman: Music From the Motion Picture are available there too.
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