Robbie Williams’ Autobiographical Film “Better Man” Features CGI Monkey

British pop icon Robbie Williams will be the subject of an upcoming autobiographical film entitled “Better Man,” which features a unique narrative twist. The film, rather than portraying Williams as himself, uses a CGI monkey as his on-screen representation, while Williams lends his singing voice to the character.

The teaser trailer for “Better Man” was released this Tuesday, billing the movie as the “true story” of Williams’ life and career, albeit with a primate standing in for him. In the voiceover, Williams introduces himself saying, “I’m Robbie Williams. I’m one of the biggest pop stars in the world. But I’ve always seen myself a little less… evolved.”

Jonno Davies is credited with voicing and motion-capturing the monkey character, while Williams provides the singing voice for the CGI character. The film is produced by Paramount Pictures and offers a narration of Williams’ life from his childhood, membership in the boyband Take That, to his achievements as a solo artist.

Paramount Pictures describes the film as capturing “the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence” of Williams, and aims to present his story from his perspective, highlighting his “signature wit and indomitable spirit.”

Director Michael Gracey and Williams discussed the unconventional portrayal in a featurette released with the teaser. Gracey indicated the choice of a monkey was inspired by Williams’ own characterization of himself as being like an entertainer who is “dragged up on stage to perform.” Gracey added, “With your voice and that monkey, I am going to see you and relate to you in a way that is going to be more engaging than yet another musical biopic.”

The film is set for a limited U.S. release on Christmas Day, with a wider release scheduled for January 17. It includes a star-studded cast featuring Steve Pemberton, Damon Herriman, and Raechelle Banno, among others.

The screenplay for “Better Man” was penned by Michael Gracey together with Simon Gleeson and Oliver Cole. Williams himself, alongside an extensive list of executive producers, including Zhe Chen, Markus Barmettler, and Michael Loney, contributed to the film’s production.