From Bodyguard to Elton John's lover: Richard Madden's surprising next role

Telegraph Reporters
Updated
Richard Madden in Bodyguard - Ep 5
Richard Madden in Bodyguard - Ep 5

Richard Madden has been tipped to become the next James Bond after his acclaimed performance as Sgt David Budd in Bodyguard, but first he has a very different role to take on.

The Scottish actor has been cast in Rocketman, a forthcoming film about Elton John's rise to fame, in which he will play the singer's manager and lover John Reid.

The film will also star Taron Egerton as the pop star, alongside Jamie Bell as his lyricist Bernie Taupin and Bryce Dallas Howard as the singer's mother Sheila Eileen.

Egerton has told reporters that the film will not be a straightforward biopic. "Everyone thinks it’s a bio-pic. It isn’t," he said. "It’s a fantasy musical, so it’s actually his songs used to express important beats in his life at emotional moments. He’s not the only character that sings. It’s going to be fun.” 

The film has a strong musical pedigree: Dexter Fletcher (Sunshine on Leith) will direct, working to a screenplay by Lee Hall (Billy Elliot).

Elton John's former manager John Reid outside the high court in 2001 - Credit: Heathcliffe O'Malley
Elton John's former manager John Reid outside the high court in 2001 Credit: Heathcliffe O'Malley

Reid, a welder's son from Paisley, started working at EMI at the age of 18, dropping out of college to pursue a career in the music business. He met Elton John at a Christmas party hosted by Motown records in 1970, and the pair moved in together just weeks later. 

John became Reid's first client, heading a roster that later included the Irish dancer Michael Flatley and the rock band, Queen. Reid's relationship with John came to a high-profile end in 1998, after leaked details from Reid's accountant about their profligate spending were splashed across the front page of the Daily Mirror. Things came to a head in a court case two years later, when the singer accused Reid of "swindling" him out of millions of pounds (Reid settled out of court, paying £3.4 million).

Rocketman is not the only forthcoming film to feature the manager as a character. He will also appear in Bohemian Rhapsody, a biopic of Queen's Freddie Mercury, in which Reid is played by Aidan Gillan – who previously starred with Madden in Game of Thrones.