Sir Elton John and Tom Hardy: Rugged movie tough guy is top contender to play the singer in Rocketman

Reports suggest that rugged movie tough-guy Tom Hardy is a top contender to play Sir Elton in Rocketman (Getty images)

The fantasy dinner-party question "Who would you like to play you in a film of your life?" has become a reality for Sir Elton John.

And it seems that the singer (and one-time guest editor of The Independent) could do rather well for himself. Reports suggested that rugged movie tough guy Tom Hardy is a top contender to play Sir Elton in Rocketman, a "radically different" type of film biopic, which will tell the life of the man born Reg Dwight. It won't be the first time that Hardy has stepped into the shoes of someone still living, but given that his last outing was as Charles Bronson, perhaps Britain's most notorious prisoner, the shoes are likely to be slightly different.

The musical biopic is tricky for actors, as they must face more scrutiny than usual as to whether they are right for the job.In recent years, Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix (as June Carter and Johnny Cash) and Jamie Foxx (as Ray Charles) have been convincing – if a bit better-looking – doubles.

But when Val Kilmer played Jim Morrison, he had to come to terms with the fact that the late Doors singer was easier on the eye than he was.

And should Hardy sign up, Sir Elton will have done better than Bob Dylan, who in 2007's I'm Not There had a total of six actors interpret different aspects of his life, including one woman – Cate Blanchett.