I’ve been hearing whispers that Dexter Fletcher’s upcoming Elton John biopic “Rocketman” will be headed to Cannes.
The timing of the film couldn’t have been better, with Hollywood now greenlighting rock biopics left and right because of the $1 billion success of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” If the Freddie Mercury biopic decided to tame it down in regards to its lead’s over-the-top sex life, well, according to a new report from The Daily Mail, that’s exactly what the team behind “Rocketman” seem to be doing as well.
The Daily Mail is reporting that Paramount has asked “Rocketman” director Dexter Fletcher and producer Matthew Vaughn to cut a 40-second scene which shows Taron Egerton’s Elton and manager John Reid nude in bed, butt cheeks exposed, exchanging a little erotic time alone.
The report does mention that Fletcher is fighting to keep the scene in the film, most probably because he doesn’t want another headache-filled accusatory deluge of straight-washing on his plate, akin to what happened with him in “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Variety critic Guy Lodge, who was a vocal detractor of the straight-washing in “Bohemian Rhapsody,” tweeted this about the sex scene being cut from ‘Rocket Man”: “Please tell me again how homophobia isn’t the default position for absolutely everything. Egerton and Madden should refuse to do any promo for the film if that scene is cut. Simple as that.”
Here we go again.