Paramount Pictures has released the first trailer for Better Man, a biopic of British pop superstar Robbie Williams. The movie will play out as a fairly straightforward retelling of Williams' life and career... with the former Take That member depicted as a CGI chimpanzee.
Why the ape? You'll find out more in the accompanying featurette below, but director Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) got the idea from speaking to Williams about how he perceives himself.
Love him or hate him, there's no denying how popular Williams was back in the day. Though he may not be as familiar to U.S. fans, Williams was inarguably one of the biggest stars in the U.K. at one point.
By all accounts, Better Man is a very good watch (it holds an impressive 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 22 reviews).
Check out the trailer for yourselves and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments section.
Paramount Pictures and Sina Studios and Facing East Entertainment Present A Lost Bandits / Footloose Production In Association with Azure Centrum / Partizan Films / Rocket Science / RPW Productions and VicScreen. Directed by Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman).
Better Man is based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Under the visionary direction of Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), the film is uniquely told from Williams' perspective, capturing his signature wit and indomitable spirit. It follows Robbie's journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-braking solo artist - all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.
The movie was executive produced by Zhe Chen, Robbie Williams, Markus Barmettler, Philip Lee, Li-Wei Chu, Michael Loney, Thorsten Schumacher, Lars Sylvest, Mark Williams, Gregory Jankilevitsch, Klaudia Smieja, David Ravel, Domenic Benvenuto, Gianni Benvenuto, Zoran Stojkovic, Dean Hood, David Conley, Daniel Fluri, Adrian Grabe, Andres Kernen, Slava Vladimirov, Jared Underwood, and Andrew Robinson.
Producers are Paul Currie, p.g.a., Michael Gracey, p.g.a., Coco Xiaolu Ma, Jules Daly, and Craig McMahon. The script was written by Simon Gleeson, Oliver Cole, and Michael Gracey.
Better Man also stars Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Damon Herriman, Raechelle Banno, Alison Steadman, Kate Mulvaney, Frazer Hadfield, Tom Budge, and Anthony Hayes. The movie is set to release in select US theatres on December 25. Everywhere in the US on January 17.