VARIETY – Richard Madden, best known for playing Robb Stark on “Game of Thrones,” is in negotiations to join Taron Egerton in Paramount’s Elton John biopic “Rocketman” as the music icon’s longtime manager, John Reid.
Jamie Bell is also on board to play Bernie Taupin with Dexter Fletcher attached to helm the project. Lee Hall penned the script. Paramount Pictures will finance and distribute the pic.
Reid, a legendary music manager in the ’70s and ’80s who also helped with Queen’s rise to fame in the mid-’70s, managed John from 1970 to 1998. Along the way, the two also became lovers, but their romance ended after five years following the leak of a letter from John’s accountants detailing Reid’s spending that was uncovered by the Daily Mail. The two would continue to work together professionally until 1998.
Matthew Vaughn and his Marv Films will produce, along with John and his Rocket Pictures partner David Furnish.
The role is a big win for Madden, who has been particular about the film roles he chooses since leaving “Game of Thrones” after Season 3. He did co-star in Disney’s “Cinderella” as the Prince and also appeared with Idris Elba in “The Take.” On the TV side since “Game of Thrones,” he has starred in the Netflix show “Medici: Masters of Florence” and Amazon’s “Electric Dreams.”
He is repped by WME and Troika.
