Career-Spanning Elton John Documentary Coming, ‘Never Too Late’

Share This:

The career-spanning Elton John documentary, Never Too Late, directed by American filmmaker R.J. Cutler and the star’s husband, David Furnish, will have its streaming premiere December 13 on Disney+. The film was first shown at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 6. It had its U.S. premiere at the New York Film Festival on Oct. 1 with John and the film’s directors in attendance. The 102-minute film began a limited theatrical run in the U.S. and U.K. on Nov. 15.

In its review, Variety called it “a robustly satisfying and emotional documentary… that captures John in his most revealing way, in his ’70s heyday.” As of Nov. 15, the film has a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on a small number of reviews prior to its limited theatrical release.

From the official announcement: Never Too Late follows Elton John as he looks back on his life and the astonishing early days of his 50-year career in this emotionally charged, intimate and uplifting full-circle journey. As he prepares for his final concert in North America at Dodger Stadium, Elton takes us back in time and recounts the extraordinary highs and heartbreaking lows of his early years and how he overcame adversity, abuse and addiction to become the icon he is today. The film features a new original song of the title track, sung by John with Brandi Carlile, written by the pair with Bernie Taupin and Andrew Watt.

Elton John (Photo: Ron Pownall via Disney+)

Carlile began writing the song after seeing an early cut of the film, taking guidance from Taupin. Says Elton, “I’ve known for a long time how great she was but still, reading her lyrics and co-writing with her on the music was deeply moving. Especially given how personal it is to… seeing my life on the screen, she just perfectly captured the essence of the documentary and why I stopped touring to spend more time with my family. I’m constantly astonished by her craft, she can channel my voice in a way only Bernie has managed to do before. I know Bernie helped guide Brandi on that. The standard of her musicianship, her songwriting, her passion for what she does are sensational. She truly is one of the greatest there is.”

With “I’m Still Standing” and other classics in the background along with iconic concert footage from his career, the trailer features the performer as he reflects on his extraordinary rise to success, the personal challenges he faced, and how his family has changed him. When he announced the trailer on his social media platforms, John wrote, “Sharing this story is so special to me.”

John published Farewell Yellow Brick Road: Memories of My Life on Tour, a lavish retrospective authored by the icon himself, on September 24, 2024, via Hyperion. The 256-page book is available in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here.