The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey has announced that his next movie will be Better Man, a biopic about singer Robbie Williams.
Deadline reports that the film will follow the singer’s “ascent, exploring the experiences that made him who he is, and the demons he battled both on and off the stage as he became a huge star on the back of hits like ‘Angels.’”
Michael will be directing and producing the film. He also co-wrote the script with first-time screenwriters Oliver Cole and Simon Gleeson.
In an interview with Deadline, Michael revealed that Robbie‘s music will be included in the film, but he wouldn’t confirm if the singer himself will appear in it.
“As for how we represent Robbie in the film, that bit is top secret,” Michael said. “I want to do this in a really original way. I remember going to the cinema as a kid and there were films that blew me away and made me say as I sat there in the cinema, ‘I’ve never seen this before.’ I just want the audience to have that feeling. It’s so important when they watch this story, and look at the screen, that they literally think, I’ve never seen this before. All I can say is the approach is top secret, but the goal is to generate that feeling I just described. It’s this fantastical story, and I want to represent it in its harsh reality all the way to these moments of pure fantasy.”
Michael also revealed that Robbie‘s music will be re-recorded for the movie and it will seemingly be performed by whoever is playing the role.
“All Robbie’s songs will be re-sung, for the emotion of the moment,” he said. “If in his life he’s in the depths of despair, he’s not going to sing a song as cabaret flamboyant showmanship; it’s going to be broken, acapella, stripped down, because that’s where he is emotionally. In moments of pure joy, you’ll get songs sung in this whirlwind of hysteria. So essentially every song in the film, Robbie will sing, but it will be performed for the emotion of that moment, and that scene.”
The producers will be looking for a studio to buy the movie at the upcoming European Film Market event.
