Elton John: it all started in a difficult time for rock

The director of the next documentary on Elton Johnn told how the first part of the London artist’s career coincided with a “dark moment” in the history of rock.

The film branded Disney+ “Elton John: Never Too Late” follows the musician as he reflects on his life and 50-year career, as he prepares for his final North American stadium concert at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in November 2022.

In a new interview with IndieWire, RJ Cutlerwho directed the film together with John’s husband, David Furnishsaid that despite the prolific start to his career in 1970, it was a time of uncertainty for the music industry following the deaths of major rock stars

Cutler said: “I shared with David that there was a great story to tell about the first five years of his career. Between 1970 and 1975, Elton released 13 albums in five years, seven of which went to number one It was a remarkable creative output in a time when rock and roll didn’t know what its future would be Beatles they had disbanded, i Rolling Stones they didn’t go on tour. Jimmy Hendrix he was dead. Janis Joplin she was dead. It was a dark time.”

“Elton John: Never Too Late” had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

The film will have a limited theatrical release on November 15 in the US and UK, before streaming on the platform Disney+ on December 13th worldwide.

The film will “lift the veil” on Elton’s life, featuring “never-seen footage of his concerts over the past 50 years, as well as handwritten diaries and current videos of him and his family.” “He had made the decision to stop, to spend more time with his family,” Cutler added. “The last great addiction of his life was performing live. He had been doing it since he was 16.”

The “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour” by John began in 2018 and concluded in Stockholm in July last year, earning over $900m (£708m) in gross ticket sales.

At the time of its conclusion, it was the highest-grossing tour of all time, but has since been surpassed by the Eras Tour of Taylor Swift and from the Music Of The Spheres Tour by Coldplay. Meanwhile, John isn’t done releasing new music yet. In May, his friend and co-author Bernie Taupin revealed that John’s 32nd studio album is “already done and recorded.”

In recent weeks John has also celebrated 34 years of “sobriety”, sharing a photo of his Alcoholics Anonymous medal online and saying that “my life has never been better”.