Elton John Biopic, ‘Rocketman,’ Release Date Pushed Back Two Weeks

The release of Rocketman, the biopic chronicling the life of music legend Elton John, has been pushed back two weeks. According to Variety, the film will now be released on May 31, 2019. The film is directed by Dexter Fletcher, written by Lee Hall, and counts Elton John among its producers. It stars Taron Edgerton (Kingsman) as John and focuses on his journey from the Royal Academy of Music to stardom.

Edgerton is joined by Bryce Dallas Howard, who will play John’s mother, Sheila. Actor Jamie Bell, who starred in the films Jumper and Snow Piercer, will play Bernie Taupin, John’s longtime writing partner. John and Taupin began collaborating in 1967.

John is one of the most successful recording artists of all time. His first hit was the single “Your Song,” which was released in 1970. Some of his most notable songs also reached No. 1 on the musical charts, including “Bennie and the Jets” and “Crocodile Rock.” According to John’s biography, the singer is as much known for his music as he is for his live shows. He often wears elaborate costumes and large glasses, something he began doing to be memorable.

“I wasn’t a sex symbol like Bowie, Marc Bolan or Freddie Mercury, so I dressed more on the humorous side because if I was going to be stuck at the piano for two hours, I was going to make people look at me.”

In 1976, the singer came out as bisexual, and later out as a gay man. Though he was initially taunted for his sexuality, the singer made a triumphant return to the spotlight with the 1979 record A Single Man. His popularity waned in the 1980s, but his song “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” for the 1994 Disney movie The Lion King secured a younger fan base and also garnered him and Taupin an Academy Award. The two would later win a Tony in 2000 for the musical, Aida.

In 1994, John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was knighted in 1998. With the loss of two of his friends — designer Gianni Versace and Princess Diana of Wales — John reworked the song “Candle In The Wind” in 1997. The new version sold more than 30 million copies that year alone.

In January, the singer announced his retirement after the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, which begins in September. According to John’s website, the singer says, “It’s time to come off the road so I can fully embrace the next important chapter of my life.”