British pop singer Robbie Williams is set to star in a biopic about his life titled Better Life. Ever the unconventional, Robbie will be starring as a CGI monkey!
Having previously worked on The Greatest Showman, Australian film-maker Michael Gracey described his upcoming film about Robbie as “a fantastical coming of age story”.
Speaking to Deadline back in 2021, Gracey says:
Robbie is that Everyman, who just dreamed big and followed those dreams and they took him to an incredible place. Because of that, his [story] is an incredibly relatable [one].
The film will be uniquely told from Robbie’s perspective. Following Robbie’s journey from his childhood in Stoke-on-Trent, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boy-band Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist.
Robbie Williams will be starring as himself, along with Kingsmen actor Jonno Davies starring as young Robbie. We also have Inside No. 9’s Steve Pemberton and Gavin & Stacey’s Alison Steadman cast as his parents – Peter and Betty. All eyes are will be on the actors playing the rest of Take That. We can confirm: Jake Simmance as Gary Barlow; Liam Head as Howard Donald; Jesse Hyde as Mark Owen and Chase Vollenweider as Jason Orange.
Initially named Kick It, Take That will be remembered as one of the biggest UK pop bands in the 90’s. Scoring number-ones with 12 singles and 9 albums in the Official UK Albums Chart (OCC), they also gained international success and notoriety. When Take That disbanded in 1996, Robbie went on to achieve phenomenal success as a solo artist. He has sold more than 77 million albums and singles worldwide and is one of the best-selling artists of all time.
Starting an enduring partnership with songwriter Guy Chambers on his debut album Life thru a Lens (1997), Robbie released his best-selling single to date with Angels. Following this success, he went on to release an array of hit singles including Feel, She’s The One, Supreme, Let Me Entertain You, Millennium and Rock DJ from a 12-album strong catalogue.
Robbie’s solo albums:
Life thru a Lens (1997)
I’ve Been Expecting You (1998)
Sing When You’re Winning (2000)
Swing When You’re Winning (2001)
Escapology (2002)
Intensive Care (2005)
Rudebox (2006)
Reality Killed the Video Star (2009)
Take the Crown (2012)
Swings Both Ways (2013)
The Heavy Entertainment Show (2016)
The Christmas Present (2019)
Studio albums with Take That:
Take That & Party (1992)
Everything Changes (1993)
Nobody Else (1995)
Progress (2010)
Better Life will be released in the UK & Ireland on Thursday 26th December 2024 (Boxing Day).
If you don’t want to wait that long to see Robbie, on 20th September 2024, he was featured on the track Danny with Israeli singer, Noga Erez, on her album, The Vandalist. You can check her video out here.
