Taron Egerton on Rocketman: Our movie is a different animal

Taron Egerton speaks during a press conference for the film Rocketman at the 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France. Photo/AFP

Cannes: Taron Egerton believes his upcoming musical drama "Rocketman" is a completely "different animal" from last year's blockbuster "Bohemian Rhapsody". The actor portrays music icon Elton John in the upcoming biopic, which has been directed by Dexter Fletcher. "Bohemian Rhapsody", which was based on the life of Freddie Mercury and Queen, featured Rami Malek as the band's frontman.

The actor won Oscar for Best Actor at the 91st Academy Awards this year for his performance in the film. Fletcher completed "Bohemian Rhapsody" in December 2017 after filmmaker Bryan Singer was fired from the project by 20th Century Fox over his repeated absences from the film's set. Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival, where "Rocketman" had its world premiere, Egerton said, "That ('Bohemian Rhapsody') movie is unicorn". The actor then joked that he cannot "remember who finished" the film, reported Deadline.

"But our movie is a different animal, it's a musical that requires an actor who can sing in the lead role," he added. Egerton hailed Malek as "one of the most talented actors of our generation" and said his performance in the Mercury biopic left him "astonished". "I'm proud that we're mentioned in the same breath. I'm grateful that people can compare us, it shows that there's an appetite for these movies," the actor said. "Rocketman", which also features Bryce Dallas Howard and Richard Madden, is set to release in the UK on May 22.

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