Elton film is a bit too cheeky for Hollywood
The film-makers behind the elton John musical fantasy Rocketman have clashed with a hollywood studio over a naked sex romp featuring Taron egerton, the picture’s star, and Bodyguard and Game Of Thrones star, Scot Richard Madden.
Paramount Pictures have demanded that Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher and producer Matthew Vaughn cut a 40-second scene that shows egerton, who plays the singer and Madden, cast as his one-time lover and manager John Reid, writhing on a bed. Fully exposed white derrieres are on display, but the nude escapade is tastefully done.
Nonetheless, Paramount are forcing the director to cut the scene so it will have an American PG 13 rating (roughly the equivalent of a British 12A).
The studio’s argument about whitewashing any gay sensibility in the film could have something to do with Fox’s sanitised biopic of Freddie Mercury’s life, Bohemian Rhapsody.
It won several Oscars, including a gold best actor statuette for Rami Malek’s portrait of Mercury. But it also took close to one billion dollars globally in ticket sales. You can see how Paramount wouldn’t mind replicating that telephone number figure.
‘Two guys have a naked cuddle to express their love for each other and that will be reduced to a fully dressed warm hello. The world knows elton’s gay. It’s no secret,’ said my source, who worked on the film.
Also, what’s slightly odd is that elton himself didn’t want anything hidden in Rocketman. he told the movie makers: ‘Tell it all. Go as R-rated as you need to.’
Coincidentally, Fletcher also had a hand in Bohemian Rhapsody. he took over making the film when director Bryan Singer was fired. even so, Singer has collected tens of millions of dollars in royalties and profit bonuses. The ‘heated argument’ over Rocketman is being played out as the studio starts to screen footage to journalists.
I’ve already seen about 40 minutes worth of shots (including the sex scene) and it’s terrific: a sublime salute to one of the world’s biggest music icons. There are big set piece musical numbers featuring songs such as Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting, a brilliant highlight.
Rocketman also stars Jamie Bell as lyric writer Bernie Taupin; and Bryce Dallas howard and Steven Mackintosh as elton’s parents. It’s released here on May 24, although there has been chatter about it popping up, out of competition, at the Cannes Film Festival.