Replacing Tom Hardy for Taron Egerton as 'Rocketman' star was 'no-brainer,' producer says

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Actor Tom Hardy was slated to star in the upcoming biopic “Rocketman,” but was later replaced by Taron Egerton, the movie’s producer revealed.

Hardy, 41, was attached to play Elton John in the movie. However, "Rocketman" producer Matthew Vaughn said although he believed Hardy “is one of the best actors,” he felt the “Venom” star was “too old for the role,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. He also said the actor was going to lip-sync.

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"John [Elton John] and Furnish [David Furnish, Elton John’s husband] were on the fence because they had Tom Hardy attached, but when they heard Taron sing, it was like a no-brainer," Vaughn said of Egerton. "They were like, 'OK, he's unbelievable.'"

Vaughn recalled Furnish telling him that he and the “Tiny Dancer” singer were having trouble “getting ‘Rocketman’ off the ground.”

Taron Egerton as Elton John in the upcoming biopic "Rocketman." (David Appleby/ Paramount Pictures via AP)

Vaughn said he offered to produce the biopic.

"I said, 'Look, I don't understand how this hasn't been made, and if you want me to team up with you, I'm in,’” Vaughn recalled.

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Egerton, 29, told The Hollywood Reporter he was getting nervous before the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

"Everyone has a sense of ownership over those songs because they've been the soundtrack to all of our lives," Egerton said. "Which means that we're playing to a tough crowd."

“Rocketman” is slated to open on May 31.