The 12 must-see biopics of 2019, from Elton John to David Bowie

14 February 2019, 17:23

2019 welcomes a lengthy list of film biopics based on some of music's biggest stars and beyond - take a look at what's in store.

From the highly anticipated Elton John biopic Rocketman to the lesser-known biopics on the way, here's everything you need to know about what's in store for 2019.

1. Elton John - 'Rocketman'

   Release date: 31 May 2019

   Off the back of the success of Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, director Dexter Fletcher has jumped on another musical project to immortalise Sir Elton John in a film biopic.

   Taron Egerton has been entrusted with the mammoth task of playing Sir Elton, and from what we can see in the trailer we won't be disappointed.

   Here's everything you need to know about Rocketman >

2. David Bowie - 'Stardust'

   

   Release date: TBC

   Johnny Flynn will play David Bowie in Stardust, an upcoming film about the late rock legend.

   Stardust will follow Bowie’s first trip to America in the early 1970s, and the creation of his Ziggy Stardust persona.

   Also joining the cast are Marc Maron as Bowie's publicist and Jena Malone as Bowie's first wife Angie. The soundtrack for the film will include many Bowie performances, and will start filming this summer.

   Here's everything you need to know about Stardust >

3. Dusty Springfield - 'So Much Love'

   

   Release Date: Autumn 2019 TBC

   A new film about the life of Dusty Springfield, titled So Much Love, is now in production. Gemma Arterton will play the British soul legend in the biopic.

   We haven't seen the trailer yet, but we know that the film will be set in 1968, at the peak of Dusty's popularity, when the singer travelled to Tennessee to record the album Dusty in Memphis.

   Here's everything you need to know about So Much Love >

4. Celine Dion - 'The Power of Love'

   

   Release date: 2 December 2020

   The French-Canadian superstar will have her life and career adapted into a movie, and will be released in 2020. The Power Of Love has been commissioned by French movie studio Gaumont, with permission granted by Celine Dion herself.

   The movie will apparently focus on Celine's upbringing in Charlemagne, Quebec, her rise to fame as a teenager, and her relationship with her late manager and husband René Angélil.

   Here's everything you need to know about The Power of Love >

5. Aretha Franklin - 'Respect'

   

   Release date: TBC

   In January 2018, singer and actress Jennifer Hudson was announced to be playing Aretha in a movie about her life. Hudson was handpicked by Aretha herself before she passed away later in the year.

   Respect covers the life of Aretha from singing as a child at her father’s church’s choir, to becoming an iconic superstar and civil rights activist.

   Producers have yet to fully reveal what years we can expect to be covered, but it sounds like it will be about Aretha's whole life and career.

   Here's everything you need to know about Respect >

6. J.R.R. Tolkien - 'Tolkien'

   

   Tolkien Trailer #1 (2019) | Movieclips Trailers

   Release date: 10 May 2019

   J.R.R. Tolkien is hailed worldwide as the genius author of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit.

   The film is said to delve into his formative years and explore exactly where he got his inspirations from. Nicholas Hoult, best known for The Favourite and Mad Max: Fury Road, will play the author.

7. Fred Rogers - 'A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood'

   

   Release date: October / November 2019

   Following the success of documentary Won't You Be My Neighbour in 2018 which told the extraordinary story of Fred Rogers, the much-loved 'Mr Rogers' comes back to our screens in 2019.

   A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood will star Tom Hanks as the television presenter Fred Rogers, alongside Matthew Rhys and Chris Cooper.

8. Ted Bundy - 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile'

   

   EXTREMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL AND VILE Official Trailer (2019) Zac Efron, Lily Collins Movie HD

   Release date: 26 January 2019

   The shocking story of serial killer Ted Bundy is brought to life in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile.

   Zac Efron plays the controversial character, who has already had a Netflix series dedicated to him this year.

9. Ford and Ferrari - 'Ford v. Ferrari'

   📷 Christian Bale as Ken Miles on the set of James Mangold’s ‘Ford vs. Ferrari’ in Los Angeles, California, on 10 August 2018.
   [Source: https://t.co/l9IYcD28mz]#ChristianBale #FordvsFerrari #FordvFerrari #JamesMangold #MattDamon #CarrollShelby #KenMiles #LeMans66 #LeMans #OnSet pic.twitter.com/uQl7wqOXw9

   — John Sant (@JohnSant87) August 11, 2018

   Release date: TBC 2019

   Although there isn't a trailer for this film yet, it sounds like it's going to be one to keep an eye on.

   As the title suggests, the biopic focuses on the rivalry between Ferrari and Fort to win Le Mans in 1966.

10. The Beatles Documentary

    Release date: TBC 2019

    This isn't actually a biopic, but a documentary using never-before-seen footage of the Beatles recording their final album together.

    Director Sir Peter Jackson is collaborating with the remaining members of the band to release footage from the studio sessions of their 1969 album Let It Be.

    Here's everything you need to know about the film >

11. Rudolf Nureyev - 'White Crow'

    

    THE WHITE CROW - Official Trailer - Directed by Ralph Fiennes

    Release date: 22 March 2019

    Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in this biopic about astonishing dancer Rudolf Nureyev.

    Fresh-faced Oleg Ivenko will play the dancer known as 'The White Crow', and will depict his life from his poverty-stricken childhood in the Soviet city of Ufa, to his blossoming as a student dancer in Leningrad, to his arrival at the epicentre of western culture in Paris in the early 1960s.

12. Diana Ross documentary

    Release date: 26 March 2019

    To mark her 75th birthday, Diana Ross: Her Life, Love and Legacy will document the icon's classic 1983 Central Park concert, where nearly 1.2 million people came to see her perform.

    When a freak storm hit, Diana was forced to end the concert early. However, she announced to the crowd that she would return the following day to perform again and they all returned.

    Here's everything you need to know about Diana Ross: Her Life, Love and Legacy >