Stardust: Johnny Flynn plays David Bowie in unauthorised biopic

First there was Freddie Mercury, then there was Elton John, and now it’s David Bowie’s turn. The soaring highs and disastrous lows of the lives of the world’s most famous musicians have been the subject of a few immensely popular films as of late, and David Bowie has long eluded the biopic treatment until now with the aptly titled Stardust.

If you haven’t heard of Johnny Flynn, you’ll know him sooner or later. The British actor has been tapped to portray the musician in the beginning of his burgeoning career. Flynn is well-acquainted with playing elusive characters, having appeared in Beast and the BBC adaptation of Les Misérables.

Joining Flynn in the cast is Marc Maron (Glow) as Bowie’s publicist and Jena Malone as the singer’s first wife Angie Jones. The film has already been the subject of controversy as Bowie’s son, film director Duncan Jones, revealed that the film did not have the family’s blessing or the rights to his music.

The creative team behind the unauthorised film insist it’s not a biopic, and by the sounds of it they’re not wrong. In lieu of the cradle to grave narrative, the film will explore a single fateful event in Bowie’s early career: his first trip to the United States in 1971, which would go down in history as the inspiration for the singer’s alter ego Ziggy Stardust.

Details are still scarce, apart from a first image featuring Flynn as a young, hippie-era Bowie. No release date has been announced as of yet, but since it’s hopping on the backs of Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman’s success, we may be hearing a lot more about Stardust in the awards conversation next year. All superheroes have their origin story, and Bowie is getting his, too.