The forthcoming Robbie Williams biopic will “reimagine” the pop icon’s seminal hits, his songwriter and close friend Guy Chambers has said.
Better Man is being helmed by The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey and will tell the story of Williams’ rise to global fame.
Speaking exclusively to NME, Chambers explained that the new project will see Williams’ hits undergo a dramatic reinvention – similar to the big-screen treatment received by Elton John‘s music in 2019 biopic Rocketman.
“I know Michael Gracey who is directing it, and he’s a bit of a genius,” said Chambers.
“The only thing I know about it so far is that the songs will be reimagined in the film, I do know that. It’s going to be a bit like they did with the Elton biopic.”
As well as the new take on Williams’ music, the film is also set to take on an altogether stranger concept – the singer will be reimagined as a CGI monkey.
Reports from Deadline in March claimed that the fantastical approach will see Gracey showing Williams as a CGI animal rather than being depicted by an IRL actor.
In a separate interview with the outlet published a week prior (February 22), Gracey did not reveal anything about the portrayal, other than it will be done “in a really original way”.
Chambers, meanwhile, was speaking to NME to promote his ‘Song Studies’ sessions on MusicGurus, which sees him delivering a masterclass to budding songwriters and revealing the secrets behind some of his biggest hits.
“I just want to go through why the songs work and how the melodies are shaped in songs such as ‘Angels’, ‘Feel’ and ‘No Regrets’,” Chambers said of the project.
“I’m going through them in quite a bit of detail, in a way I ordinarily wouldn’t in an interview. This is the most in-detail masterclass I’ve ever done, and it gives me a chance to get into the original recordings, and show people how they work.”
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