Robbie Williams is played by a CGI monkey in his biopic Better Man
Yes, you read that right
In 2021 it was revealed that former Take That star Robbie Williams was getting a biopic about his life, titled Better Man after his 2001 single. The film has now had its world premiere at Telluride Film Festival, and with press in attendance, the reviews all contain an interesting feature, that many did not expect.
The film has been directed by The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey, who attended the film's premiere, along with Robbie. Ahead of Better Man's first screening, the pair discussed the biopic, revealing what sets it apart from many, is that Robbie is portrayed in the film by a CGI monkey!
Yes, you read that right, in their introduction, Michael and Robbie explained why they chose to use a monkey. Michael said: "In the film, the voiceover... about 80% of them are from those original recordings that we did, and they're not scripted, they were just a conversation and I then edited those conversations into the film that you're about to watch, and they form the basis of the first script."
"But I found a unique way to tell this story and after listening back to the recordings, there was a reoccurring statement that Rob (Robbie Williams) would make about performing. And he would say 'yeah, tell me about it, I was off my head, they dragged me up on stage and I'd perform like a monkey'..."
He went on to say: "From that moment, well if Rob's telling this story and it's from his point of view, we should really portray him as he sees himself." And after that they took the unusual decision to use a CGI monkey as Robbie throughout the film, along with Robbie's voice.
Here we dive into everything we know about the upcoming movie Better Man.
Who is directing Better Man?
Better Man is directed by Michael Gracey, who also directed The Greatest Showman. Michael has written the film alongside screenwriters Oliver Cole and Simon Gleeson. You can see Michael above talking about the film.
What parts of Robbie Williams’ life does the biopic Better Man cover?
Now that the film has had its premiere, according to reviews, despite the unusual portrayal of Robbie as a monkey, the biopic is a typical 'cradle-to-comeback story' according to Deadline.
Despite being a monkey in the film, Robbie voices the character and narrates the movie, reminding viewers that there is a human behind the monkey.
Which Robbie Williams songs will be in the Better Man films?
According to American site Deadline, Robbie's hit songs will appear in the upcoming film. Robbie will be the one singing them and they were re-recorded especially for the film in order to fit the narrative.
When speaking to Deadline, Michael Gracey said: "All Robbie’s songs will be resung, for the emotion of the moment. If in his life he’s in the depths of despair, he’s not going to sing a song as cabaret flamboyant showmanship; it’s going to be broken, a cappella, stripped down, because that’s where he is emotionally. In moments of pure joy, you’ll get songs sung in this whirlwind of hysteria."
Will Robbie Williams appear in Better Man?
Originally this information was being kept under wraps with Michael telling Deadline: "As for how we represent Robbie in the film, that bit is top secret. I want to do this in a really original way.
"I remember going to the cinema as a kid and there were films that blew me away and made me say as I sat there in the cinema, 'I've never seen this before.' I just want the audience to have that feeling.
"All I can say is the approach is top secret, but the goal is to generate that feeling I just described. It's this fantastical story, and I want to represent it in its harsh reality all the way to these moments of pure fantasy."
Then in May 2022, Robbie told fans he would be starring in the film. At Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, Robbie said: "The thing is about films is that it is a wonder anything gets made.
"Everything gets held up in a bottleneck. It is always, 'This person says no and this person says yes and this person is offended and this person is not offended enough.' It is agents and lawyers.
"I am 97% sure it will happen. I don’t know who will play me when I am younger but I know who will play me when I am older.
"You are looking at him."
However, following the film's premiere it has been revealed that Robbie is portrayed by a monkey, however he narrates the film and voices the character.
Has Better Man started filming?
Filming has now finished for Better Man.
When is the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man set to be released?
The film is expected to be released at different times in different markets. In the UK and Ireland it is expected to be released on 26th December according to film fan Tom Linay.
How can I watch Robbie Williams' Better Man biopic?
The film is expected to be released in cinemas later this year, and in some markets early next year.
What has Robbie Williams been up to since leaving Take That?
Since leaving Take That for the first time back in 1995, Robbie has gone on to enjoy a massive solo career, releasing 12 studio albums with hits like 'Rock DJ', 'Feel', 'Come Undone', and 'Let Me Entertain You'.
The dad-of-four also appeared as a judge on The X Factor alongside his wife Ayda, before dropping his last album 'The Christmas Present' in 2019.
Will there be a Take That film?
Separate to this film, Take That's movie musical Greatest Days was confirmed in 2020 and released in June 2023. The film coincided with a UK tour of the musical of the same name.
The musical features many of Take That's hits and tells the story of a group of best friends in the 1990s who are obsessed with their favourite boy band. They reunite more than 20 years later with a plan to see their heartthrobs one last time in what could be the Greatest Days of their lives!
Scroll through to see Take That through the years:
1989
Starting with a line-up of five young men, Take That consisted of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams, with the original (short lived) name of Kick It.
1991
Take That's original line-up of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Thankfully they changed their name and after a few unsuccessful songs in the early 90s Take That's breakthrough hit 'It Only Takes A Minute' was released. The song was a cover of a 1975 song by Taveres and reached number 7 in the charts.
1992
In 1992 Take That had hits with 'A Million Love Songs' and 'Could It Be Magic'. The boys' follow-up single 'Could It Be Magic' quickly propelled them to super-stardom with a string of number 1s not far away.
1993
Take That had huge success in 1993 with 'Pray', 'Relight My Fire' (featuring Lulu) and 'Babe'.
1994
The band's success continued in 1994 with 'Everything Changes' and 'Sure'. Here they are performing at The BRITs 1994.
1995
However, in July 1995 after countless hits, fans heard the devastating news; Robbie Williams would be leaving the band following friction with other band members. Robbie later admitted in a TV documentary in 2005, that he did some "stupid stuff" after parting ways with the band over 20 years ago, but said he didn't regret it because he was young.
1995
The remaining members of Take That continued to perform as a quartet.
1996
Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Jason Orange performed at The BRITs in 1996. The remaining group of four continued to tour and release songs for another year, releasing 'Never Forget' and the Bee Gees cover 'How Deep Is Your Love', finally announcing they would be disbanding in February 1996. 'How Deep Is Your Love' became the band's final number 1 before they reformed 10 years later.
Late 90's
During the late 90s three of the band members, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams, enjoyed solo singing careers with varying degrees of success. Jason Orange went into acting and Howard Donald, despite being the lead singer on a number of Take That songs, made a name for himself as a club DJ across Europe.
2005
Skip nearly a decade and ITV reunited the group for a documentary called Take That: For the Record in which the former members of the boyband were interviewed, discussing how they were discovered and looking back at their experiences in the band.
2005
Following the successful reception of the documentary by fans and the press, the decision was made to reunite with the 'post Robbie' line-up and a 2006 tour titled the 'The Ultimate Tour' was announced. After a break of nearly 10 years, Take That members Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Jason Orange reformed in 2005.
2006
Take That performed on The X Factor in 2006. In 2006 they had a Number 1 single with 'Patience'. Gone were the cheesy pop tunes of the 90s, Take That had grown up with their fans and the men, now in their 30s revealed a much more mature sound, with their 2006 comeback single 'Patience'. The song quickly hit the top spot in the UK and around Europe becoming the eighth best-selling single of 2006 spending a massive 11 weeks in the top 10.
2007
In 2007 Take That embarked on their 'Beautiful World' tour. Since their reunion as a four-piece, it was clear that they hadn't lost the momentum they had in the 90s with another string of hits including 'Shine', 'Rule the World' and 'Greatest Day'.
2009
After the release of fifth album 'The Circus' in December 2008, the boys headed out on their 'Take That Present: The Circus Live' tour to promote it - and what a spectacle it was! Tickets to the entire tour sold it in less than five hours, making it the fastest-selling tour in UK history.
2010
Robbie Williams made an unexpected return to the group in 2010, joining forces with Gary Barlow - the first time since 1995 - writing a song that would feature on both Take That and Robbie's albums. Then, later that year, the news that all Take That fans had been waiting for was confirmed, the original line-up would be reforming for the wildly successful album, 'Progress' and its live tour. Their lead single 'The Flood' was released and peaked at number 2 featuring both Gary and Robbie as lead vocals.
2011
Following the band's 'Progress Live' tour in 2011 they then decided to take a break.
2014
A couple of years later Take That reformed as a group to record their seventh studio album, but it was short-lived, in 2014 both Robbie and Jason decided to leave. Robbie had recently become a dad for the second time and saying he would find it difficult "logistically". The band continued as a trio made up of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen.
2017
Take That returned earlier this year with their new album 'Wonderland' and their single 'Giants' which peaked at number 13. 'Giants' was written by the remaining three members of Take That along with some co-writers and the lyric video can be seen below.
2019
After celebrating Take That's 30th anniversary in 2019, the band put out a Greatest Hits album called 'Odyssey', which featured song "re-imagined with new arrangements and production". It debuted at Number 1, and the group embarked on a huge UK tour in 2019.
May 2020
Take That reunited with former member Robbie Williams for a very special performance in May 2020 during the lockdown amid the global pandemic of Coronavirus, performing a 40-minute set.
June 2020
The band's musical film Greatest Day was confirmed in June 2020! Although it had been in the pipeline for a couple of years, things started to get in motion in the summer, which is based on the jukebox musical The Band, containing Take That songs.
November 2020
Gary released his fifth solo studio album on 27th November, 'Music Played By Humans', which debuted at Number 1 in the UK! It features singles 'Elita' featuring Michael Bublé and Sebastián Yatra, 'Incredible' and 'This Is My Time'. Other album tracks feature vocals from the likes of Beverley Knight, Alesha Dixon and James Corden among others.
2021
On 7th October 2021, Gary surprised fans with the announcement that he was launching his own wine company. He shared photos from his new company Gary Barlow Wines on his social media.
2021
In October 2021, Gary announced his first Christmas album 'The Dream Of Christmas' would come out on 26th November. The album includes new songs like 'How Christmas Is Supposed To Be' as well as Gary's take on some classic tunes.
'Sleigh Ride' and 'The Dream Of Christmas' were released on 28th October ahead of the album.
2022
In January 2022, Gary Barlow announced he would be putting on a theatre performance show called 'A Different Stage', with dates being added throughout the year.
2022: Take That attend the Cannes Film Festival
Howard Donald, Gary Barlow and Mark Owen attend the Cannes Film Festival in the south of France in support of Greatest Days, the musical movie inspired by Take That, featuring their songs.
2022: Mark Owen teases future plans
Mark told PA that he, Gary and Howard had been working remotely to make music for their ninth album, adding that a tour could follow suit: "We have been talking. We have got a movie coming out next year. And we have been talking obviously about a new record and when that will be and what kind of thing that will be.
"So those kinds of conversations are open and always a part of the background. It is always there in my head. I am always thinking."
2023: Take That performed at the Coronation Concert
Gary, Howard and Mark performed at Windsor Castle as part of the Coronation Concert on 7th May 2023. According to a press release, former members Robbie Williams and Jason Orange were offered the opportunity to reunite with the band for the occasion, however they did not appear during the concert.
Speaking about the performance, the current line-up of Take That said: "This will be our first live show since the 'Odyssey' Tour, four years ago in 2019, and what a stage to come back on. A huge live band and orchestra, a choir, military drummers, the backdrop of Windsor Castle and the celebration of a new King. We can't wait."
Taking to Twitter to share footage of their performance following the concert, Take That later assured fans that there will be more to come from the group. The band wrote: 'It was incredible to perform live together again for the first time in 4 years and there is so much more to come. We're back for good.'
2023: Take That documentary
On 14th June a Take That documentary called 30 Years in The Making was released on ITVX. The documentary is designed to accompany the musical film Greatest Days, which was in cinemas from 16th June.
2023: Take That announce tour and release ninth album
Take That released their ninth studio album called 'This Life' on 24th November. They have also announced a tour in support of the album for 2024.
2024: Take That release new single 'You and Me'
At the end of March 2024, Take That released a brand new single called 'You and Me' to celebrate their upcoming 'This Life on Tour' shows.
2024: Take That announce 'The Greatest Weekend' festival
Take That have announced a special four-day event called 'The Greatest Weekend', which will take place in Malta in October 2024. The event will include two performances from the band, in addition to appearances from special guests, a pool party and nightclub events.
Fellow artists on the line-up include Sugababes, Ella Henderson, Sam Ryder, Daniel Beddingfield and Heather Small, with more to be announced.
2024: Take That join Lulu on tour in Manchester
Surprising fans, Take That joined Lulu while she was on tour in Manchester, on her 'Champagne For Lulu' tour. They performed their 1993 hit 'Relight My Fire'.
2024: Take That Netflix documentary announced
In August 2024, Netflix announced a new Take That documentary was in the works. The series, which has not been named, will feature unprecedented insight into the band, and include interviews with former members Jason Orange and Robbie Williams.
Now read:
10 of Robbie Williams' biggest songs of all time
Robbie Williams: From Take That to solo pop star and X Factor judge
Take That: Everything you need to know about the 90s heartthrobs