(Image courtesy of IMDB.) “Elton John: Never Too Late” is set to begin streaming in December.
Aaron Preziosi
Connector Editor
Following the great success of 2019’s biopic “Rocketman” and autobiography “Me,” Elton John is set to feature in an upcoming documentary titled “Elton John: Never Too Late”, directed by award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler and John’s own husband and manager David Furnish. The film was screened exclusively at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 6, 2024, and on Sept. 30, Disney Plus released an official trailer for the documentary featuring narration from Sir Elton John himself, and details his meteoric rise, struggles with substance abuse, staying in the closet, and how he was able to pull himself back up and how “it made him realize family was more important.”
In a blog post Disney elaborates on the trailer, saying “the trailer features Elton John as he reflects on his extraordinary rise to success, the personal challenges he faced, and how his family has changed him.” It continues, saying “Elton takes us back in time and recounts the extraordinary highs and heartbreaking lows of his early years and how he overcame adversity, abuse and addiction to become the icon he is today,” and that “the film will feature a new original song from Elton John.” Furthermore, the post adds that “Before launching on Disney+, Elton John: Never Too Late, will debut with a limited theatrical run on Nov. 15 in the U.S. and U.K,” so interested viewers should keep an eye on their local theatres.
Leading up to the release of “Never Too Late,” co-director Furnish, alongside filmmaker Cutler, stated in an interview with Deadline that “we have a very extensive archive. We are always building and putting things away, but we’re never pulling it out. … It was really fun to finally be able to unearth all these gems and have a really good comb through everything that we’ve been accumulating for such a long time.” Sir Elton John was also present at the initial screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. According to Variety, Elton “teared up as he spoke to the audience,” elaborating that “I’m having the best time of my life.”
The iconic musical icon is 77 years old now, and while he is certainly having a happy ending, raising children with his husband after retiring from the road, the film aims to showcase just how much time and effort it took the star to get there. Variety continues, quoting Elton as saying “On my tombstone, I don’t want it to say he sold a million records. I want it to say he was a great dad and great husband.” The article goes on to highlight some of the main points of the film outside of the general gist. Fans can expect to learn about Elton “casting off his born name” and “embracing a new name and flamboyant persona”, how his dad “never saw him perform in concert” and how “he is determined to be a better dad,” discussion of his sexuality, relationships with other celebrities like John Lennon and Andy Warhol, and of course, how he got through years of abuse and addiction. Variety puts it best by saying “yes, he is one of the biggest music stars in history, but he is also a survivor – a happy one.”