Robbie Williams subverts the usual music biopic with a chimpanzee taking his place in the new trailer for Better Man

With all these musical biopics being released, many are questioning how many of these life stories can be told in a more refreshing way without falling into the traps that Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story parodied. Well, Robbie Williams and the creatives behind Better Man have attempted a slightly different approach. The film inspired by Williams’ life has him being portrayed by a CGI chimpanzee with a performance capture by Jonno Davies. Our own Chris Bumbray loved the movie at TIFF, saying in his review, “The craziest thing about Better Man isn’t the fact that Robbie Williams is presented as a CGI chimpanzee but rather that this risky conceit works quite well. […] While I went into Better Man with a raised eyebrow, wary of the chimpanzee aspect, to my delight, it worked wonderfully. As far as big-screen biopics go, this is a pretty deliriously entertaining one, and I had a blast watching it. It’s definitely one to keep an eye out for.”

Paramount has now released the trailer for Better Man coupled with a featurette. The official synopsis reads, “Better Man is based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Under the visionary direction of Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), the film is uniquely told from Robbie’s perspective, capturing his signature wit and indomitable spirit. It follows Robbie’s journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist – all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.”

The film stars Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Damon Herriman, Raechelle Banno, Alison Steadman, Kate Mulvaney, Frazer Hadfield, Tom Budge and Anthony Hayes.

Michael Gracey directs from a screenplay he wrote with Simon Gleeson and Oliver Cole. The movie is produced by Paul Currie, Michael Gracey, Coco Xiaolu Ma, Jules Daly and Craig McMahon. And the executive producers on board include Zhe Chen, Robbie Williams, Markus Barmettler, Philip Lee, Li-Wei Chu, Michael Loney, Thorsten Schumacher,Lars Sylvest, Mark Williams, Gregory Jankilevitsch, Klaudia Smieja, David Ravel, Domenic Benvenuto, Gianni Benvenuto, Zoran Stojkovic, Faris Dedic, David Conley, Daniel Fluri, Adrian Grabe, Andres Kernen and Dean Hood.

The film will swing into select theaters on December 25 and then go nationwide on January 17, 2025.