Tom Hardy To Play Elton John in 'Rocketman'

Tom Hardy Gives Up Action Roles

 

Tom Hardy is recognized primarily for his action star roles. He simply oozes of masculinity. He has been in Black Hawk Down, Star Trek: Nemesis, Bronson, and Warrior and in The Dark Knight Rises as the super villain Bane, a force capable enough to break Batman’s bones. It seemed like he had become a victim of typecasting, been cast in similar roles continuously.

So when he was cast as Elton John in the upcoming ‘Rocketman’ movie, I was quite surprised. ‘Rocketman’ will chronicle the life of Elton John from childhood to where he is now, and Hardy will most likely cover his adult life. This breaks our typical image of the characters Hardy should take on and is somewhat difficult to process. I can see him as Mad Max in ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ but I can’t see him as Elton John. Even when it comes to the physical resemblance, I don’t see striking similarities.

Hardy has played some certainly out of the ordinary characters, those less focused on breaking someone’s bones, but they were in the department of supporting characters. An example would be in ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ where he plays a man who is even willing to get beaten up. That is in itself, a rare site for the celebrity. The problem is that he is well known for his action movie roles. That is how people identify him. The thought of seeing him as Elton John, goes against this idea and audiences may not wish to see him that way.

On the positives, though, twitter hasn’t exploded with angry sentiment over the casting unlike with Ben Affleck’s casting as Batman, so this is indeed a good sign. They are either happy with the news of the casting, or else people care more about Batman than Elton John. I tend to believe in the latter. Nevertheless, as Tom Hardy is my favorite actor, I’m willing to see him portray any role he wishes. If he pulls it off, he will be more widely recognized for his versatility and that can do him good when it comes to the future. His portfolio will look more diverse and the Elton John biopic could earn him an Oscar nominee. Think about Meryl Streep as The Iron Lady or Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela. The latter’s film hasn’t even entered theaters and is drawing potential awards buzz. Hardy may undergo a similar experience in 2014 when the movie is released.