Brian May gives important advice to makers of Elvis biopic
The film will come out this summer
Queen guitarist Brian May was heavily involved in the process of making the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, which followed Queen's career and frontman Freddie Mercury's life. He has now given advice to the filmmakers of the upcoming Elvis biopic.
The film following Elvis Presley's world-famous career is set for release in cinemas across the UK in June 2022. With Austin Butler portraying the King of Rock and Roll, the film will show Elvis' life from childhood through to becoming a music legend and movie star.
Speaking about the current popularity of biopic films, Brain said: "A lot of people are deciding they’re going to go down this route, started off by the Elton one of course. Bohemian Rhapsody definitely inspired a lot of people to have a bash at it."
He also gave some advice about making a film of this kind: "It’s not as easy as people think I would say. I think you would have to start by asking yourself the very deep questions about what is your truth and what is it you’re trying to say. It can’t just be viewed as a piece of fluff or entertainment. It must be truthful to the person. And that’s hard."
The Bohemian Rhapsody film was years in the making and originally had Sascha Baron Cohen as Freddie Mercury before creative differences led to Rami Malek being cast as the famous musician. Speaking about the Oscar-winning film, Brian reflected: "I feel that our movie trod the right paths and did portray Freddie’s life the way he saw it. Without basking in glory too much, without putting him down, without getting obsessed with any particular angle. I think it portrayed Freddie as a musician and a human being pretty accurately. I was proud that we were able to do that because Freddie deserved it.
"Elvis undoubtedly deserves it. I don’t know who would be close enough to him now to ensure that he’s portrayed with love. But I would hope that’s done with the proper respect and affection, without going down the ultimate glorification route, which really nobody wants to see that. They want to see the real person. I would be excited to see that. It will be very interesting to see Elvis in his real state as far as it could be.”
Check out these incredible biopics:
Tony Wilson (Factory Records) - 24 Hour Party People (2002)
Released in 2002, 24 Hour Party People depicts the story of the Manchester music scene from 1976 to 1992 and the revolutionary independent record label Factory Records. The film begins with the explosion of Punk Rock in the late 1970s, it then moves through the 1980s and into the 'Madchester' rave scene of the 1990s revolving around the famous Haçienda nightclub.
The main character is Factory Records founder Tony Wilson, played by Steve Coogan. The film dramatises events that actually happened, rumours and urban legends surrounding the scene, with characters often breaking the fourth wall to speak directly to the viewer. It features the careers of bands including the Happy Mondays, Joy Division, New Order and A Certain Ratio.
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Johnny Cash - Walk The Line (2005)
Walk The Line tells the life story of legendary American Country singer-songwriter Johnny Cash. It is based on two of his autobiographies, Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words (1975), and Cash: The Autobiography (1997).
It follows the story from his early life, romance with musician June Carter and his ascent into the domination of the Country music genre. The film was released in November 2005 and stars Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix.
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Joy Division - Control (2007)
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Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
The film Bohemian Rhapsody was released in 2018 and tells the story of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury from his humble beginnings to one of the biggest stars in the world. The film culminates at the legendary Live Aid gig at Wembley Stadium in 1985.
The film became a huge success and increased the popularity of Queen. It was nominated for numerous awards and the production won four times at the 91st Academy Awards including Best Actor for Rami Malek portrayal of Freddie, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing.
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Elton John - Rocketman (2019)
The hugely popular Elton John biopic Rocketman was released in May 2019, following the singer's life from his early years through until the 1980s. Elton wrote a brand new song, '(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again', for the film, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
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Alan McGee (Creation Records) - Creation Stories (2021)
Released in 2021, Creation Stories tells the story of Alan McGee the founder of Creation Records. The film was adapted by screenwriter Irvine Welsh from the Creation boss' 2013 autobiography of the same name.
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Aretha Franklin - Respect (2021)
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Elvis Presley - Elvis (2022)
As the name suggests, Elvis is a biopic about Elvis Presley. The film follows Elvis (Austin Butler) from his humble beginnings and his Mississippi roots as he becomes a rock and roll icon. Meanwhile his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) guides and controls his fame. The film was released on 24th June 2022 and directed Baz Luhrmann.
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Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody (2022)
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Bob Marley - One Love (2024)
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The film, which was made in association with the late singer's family also starred huge names including Lashana Lynch, Michael Gandolfini, James Norton and Tosin Cole.
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Bob Dylan - A Complete Unknown (2024)
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