Robbie Williams fans are going to be stoked to see the trailer for “Better Man,” literally.
The News Updates: Paramount has released the first trailer for the musical biopic from “The Greatest Showman” director Michael Gracey, in which a CGI monkey takes over for the British pop singer. Yes, really. Robbie Williams.
“I know what you’re thinking: What happened to the monkey?” “I’m Robbie Williams. I’m one of the biggest pop stars in the world. But I’ve always felt like I was a little bit underdeveloped,” Williams says in the trailer. At first glance, the musical film looks like any other music biopic about a superstar, but for all of the scenes with Williams, he’s replaced by a Planet of the Apes-style ape double.
The trailer shows Williams as a child growing up and playing football, and he’s depicted as a dressed-up ape. Then comes a highlight video of Robbie Williams performing onstage in front of a packed audience, screaming his fangs, but he’s a screaming monkey with a tongue and oversized teeth.
The official logline reads: Better Man tells the story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall and astonishing return 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, showcasing his signature wit and indomitable spirit. It charts Robbie’s journey from his childhood as the youngest member of the successful boy band Take That, to his unprecedented success as a solo artist, shattering all records, all while facing the challenges that fame and success can bring at stratospheric heights.
” The cast includes Steve Pemberton, Damon Herriman, Rachelle Banno, Alison Steadman, Kate Mulvany, Fraser Hadfield, Tom Budge and Anthony Hayes. Jonno Davis plays the monkey version of Williams. Better Man was written by Gracie, Simon Gleeson and Oliver Cole. Executive producers are Williams, Jie Chen, Marcus Burmetler, Philip Li, Liwei Zhu, Michael Roney, Torsten Schumacher, Lars Sylvest, Mark Williams, Gregory Jankilevich, Claudia Sumia, David Lovell, Domenick Benvenuto, Gianni Benvenuto, Zoran Stojkovic, Dean Hood, David Conley, Daniel Fleury, Adrian Grave, Andres Kernen, Slava Vladimirov, Jared Underwood and Andrew Robinson.
