Elton John's 'Rocketman' to premiere at Dubai Opera

Elton John biopic will have a red-carpet premiere at Dubai Opera before its June 13 release

Taron Egerton as Elton John in Rocketman from Paramount Pictures.
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The UAE is going Elton John crazy in the run up to the June 13 release of Rocketman. First of all, Paramount Channel and Comedy Central will warm us up with a 22-minute behind-the-scenes documentary a full week ahead of its cinema release, at midnight on Thursday June 6 (Paramount Channel) and 10.30pm on Friday 7 (Comedy Central).

A few days later, on June 11, Dubai Opera will host its very first big screen premiere with a VIP, invite-only screening on Tuesday June 11 ahead of its Thursday release. The public will also have the opportunity to walk the red carpet with 500 public seats going on sale, where guests can experience the red-carpet glamour and enjoy the ultimate movie experience in the lap of luxury. The Dubai Opera event will also be preceded by a live performance from an orchestra.

Jasper Hope, chief executive of Dubai Opera, said: "I am so pleased to announce our first ever red-carpet film event is the GCC premiere of Rocketman, an epic musical about a truly extraordinary artist."

The biographical musical/fantasy film is based on real events in the life of musician John. It tells the incredible story of his breakthrough years, detailing his transformation from shy piano prodigy Reginald Dwight into international superstar Elton John.

Nearly two decades in the making, the movie has been a long time coming – Elton John originally planned to produce and start shooting in 2001. 13 years later, an initial production start in 2014 was halted due to creative differences with Focus Features.

Since then, the project has gone through several directors, studios and actors, until production commenced in earnest in August 2018. Moving forward with Paramount Pictures, Taron Egerton was ultimately cast as Elton John and Dexter Fletcher signed on as director. The film was completed in Autumn 2018 and premiered at Cannes this month.

Rocketman also stars Jamie Bell as Elton's longtime lyricist and writing partner Bernie Taupin, Richard Madden as Elton's first manager, John Reid, Bryce Dallas Howard as Elton's mother Sheila Farebrother and Gemma Jones as Ivy, Elton's grandmother who is his biggest and most loyal supporter.

Paramount Channel and Comedy Central are available exclusively in the UAE to OSN subscribers. Tickets for the Dubai Opera event are on sale now, from 95AED, at www.dubaiopera.com

*This story was amended on 30.5.19 to reflect the fact that the Paramount TV and Comedy Central screenings are in fact a behind-the-scenes documentary, not the movie itself.