Elton John reacts to gay sex scenes cut-off from his biopic, Rocketman

Following reports that the local distributor had cut off gay sex scenes from iconic British star Elton John’s biopic, titled Rocketman, the star producers of the film have slammed Russian censorship.

Rocketman is directed by Dexter Fletcher (Eddie the Eagle, Sunshine on Leith) and stars Taron Egerton as Elton John. The film chronicles the iconic musician’s life from boyhood through to his early 40s.

However, reports that scenes showing gay sex and men kissing were cut from the film surfaced last week by Russian journalists who attended a screening of the film in Moscow. The Guardian later reported that around five minutes of footage had been cut from the film because of Russian laws that ban “homosexual propaganda”.

Responding to the news, Elton John and the makers of Rocketman issues a statement:

“We reject in the strongest possible terms the decision to pander to local laws and censor ‘Rocketman’ for the Russian market, a move we were unaware of until today. Paramount Pictures have been brave and bold partners in allowing us to create a film which is a true representation of Elton’s extraordinary life, warts and all.

“That the local distributor has edited out certain scenes, denying the audience the opportunity to see the film as it was intended is a sad reflection of the divided world we still live in and how it can still be so cruelly unaccepting of the love between two people. We believe in building bridges and open dialogue, and will continue to push for the breaking down of barriers until all people are heard equally across the world.”

Meanwhile, Paramount issued a separate statement in support of Rocketman but emphasised that the studio must respect local laws that might result in certain scenes being cut.