Watch the first clip of Johnny Flynn as David Bowie in upcoming movie Stardust
It tells the backstory of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust alter ego
The first footage of singer/actor Johnny Flynn as David Bowie in the upcoming movie Stardust has premiered online.
Directed by the Emmy Award-winning Gabriel Range, Stardust is described as an ‘origins story’ and follows a very brief snapshot in time in the early seventies when David Bowie was on the cusp of launching his legendary short-lived Ziggy Stardust alter ego.
The first clip of Stardust, which you can watch below, features Flynn as Bowie in conversation with his US publicist Ron Oberman (played by Marc Maron) during Bowie’s inaugural trip to the United States.
Although Maron does most of the talking in the footage, you can get your first glimpse of Johnny Flynn playing David Bowie here:
Filming on Stardust began in Toronto, Canada and the US in July 2019 and finished just two months later.
The movie was due to get its official premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York this month, but the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Its release date is yet to be announced.
The Stardust plot synopsis reads: “Meet David before Bowie. One of the greatest icons in music history; But who was the young man behind the many faces? In 1971, a 24-year-old David Bowie (Johnny Flynn) embarks on his first road trip to America with struggling publicist Ron Oberman (Marc Maron), only to be met with a world not yet ready for him.
“Stardust offers a glimpse behind the curtain of the moments that inspired the creation of Bowie's first and most memorable alter ego Ziggy Stardust, capturing the turning point that cemented his career as one of the world's greatest cultural icons.”
When Stardust was first announced in January 2019, David Bowie’s son – acclaimed film director Duncan Jones – criticised the project.
"Pretty certain nobody has been granted music rights for ANY biopic... I would know," Jones wrote on Twitter.
"I’m not saying this movie is not happening. I honestly wouldn't know. I'm saying that as it stands, this movie won't have any of Dad's music in it and I can't imagine that changing. If you want to see a biopic without his music or the families blessing, that's up to the audience."
Stardust filmmakers Salon Pictures issued the following statement in response: “We would like to clarify that this film is not a biopic. It is a moment in time film at a turning point in David’s life, and is not reliant on Bowie’s music.
“Much like Nowhere Boy for Lennon, Control for Joy Division, the production uses period music and songs that Bowie covered, but not his original tracks.
“The film was written as an ‘origins story’ about the beginning of David’s journey as he invented his Ziggy Stardust character, and focuses on the character study of the artist, as opposed to a hits driven ‘music’ biopic.”
Alongside his distinguished acting career, 37-year-old Johnny Flynn is the eponymous lead singer of folk rock act Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit.