Taron Egerton is getting rave reviews and early Oscar buzz for his masterful portrayal of Elton John in Rocketman, but he wasn’t the only person being considered for this role. Justin Timberlake was very close to playing the legendary singer on the big screen.
Timberlake’s name came up because he did an amazing job embodying John’s spirit in the music video “This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore”. He rocked a series of flamboyant outfits, looking just like the younger version of the fellow singer, but it wasn’t enough to win the role.
John’s husband and Rocketman producer David Furnish discussed Timberlake’s involvement with The Hollywood Reporter but admitted there was never a formal offer on the table.
“We never formerly approached Justin because we weren’t ever at a stage where it was the right time to approach him. But he did an amazing job in the video. He put on a prosthetic nose, and it turned out to have been some really interesting acting work as well,” said Furnish.
Rocketman had its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival, and it’s opening in theaters on May 31st. In addition to Egerton, it also stars Jamie Bell, Richard Madden and Bryce Dallas Howard.
