Footage from film about early years of celebrated singer emerges onto internet, with Kingsman star Taron Egerton in lead role

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The first trailer for Rocketman, the biopic of musician Elton John, has been released on to the internet.

Starring Kingsman’s Taron Egerton in the central role, Rocketman has John’s husband David Furnish among its producers, and John himself has an executive producer credit.

Rocketman, directed by Dexter Fletcher, joins the Queen movie Bohemian Rhapsody as biopics about flamboyant 70s glam rockers and pioneering gay icons. The trailer for Bohemian Rhapsody drew criticism for its apparent “straightwashing” and downplaying Freddie Mercury’s sexuality; the Rocketman trailer at a minute long appears to concentrate more on John’s drug use and ecstatic performance style.

Rocketman is due for release on 17 May in the US and 31 May in the UK.