Robbie Williams is a CGI monkey in the first trailer for Michael Gracey's bizarre biopic

Paramount Pictures has released the first trailer for Better mana biopic about British pop superstar Robbie Williams. The film will turn out to be a pretty straightforward retelling of Williams' life and career… with the former Take That member portrayed as a CGI chimpanzee.

Why the monkey? Find out more in the accompanying featurette below, but director Michael Gracey (The greatest showman) came up with the idea while talking to Williams about how he perceives himself.

Love him or hate him, there's no denying how popular Williams was back in the day. Although he may not be as familiar to US fans, Williams was once undeniably one of the biggest stars in the UK.

After all, Better man is a very good watch (it has an impressive score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 22 reviews).

Check out the trailer for yourself and let us know what you think in the comments section.

Paramount Pictures and Sina Studios and Facing East Entertainment present A Lost Bandits / Footloose Production in association with Azure Centrum / Partizan Films / Rocket Science / RPW Productions and VicScreen. Director: Michael Gracey (The greatest showman).

Better Man is based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Under the visionary direction of Michael Gracey (“The Greatest Showman”), the film is uniquely told from Williams' perspective and captures his trademark wit and indomitable spirit. It follows Robbie's journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boy band Take That, to his unprecedented success as a record-breaking solo artist – all while facing the challenges that overwhelming fame and success can bring.

The film was executive produced by Zhe Chen, Robbie Williams, Markus Barmettler, Philip Lee, Li-Wei Chu, Michael Loney, Thorsten Schumacher, Lars Sylvest, Mark Williams, Gregory Jankilevitsch, Klaudia Smieja, David Ravel, Domenic Benvenuto, Gianni Benvenuto, Zoran Stojkovic, Dean Hood, David Conley, Daniel Fluri, Adrian Grabe, Andres Kernen, Slava Vladimirov, Jared Underwood and Andrew Robinson.

 Producers are Paul Currie, pga, Michael Gracey, pga, Coco Xiaolu Ma, Jules Daly and Craig McMahon. The screenplay was written by Simon Gleeson, Oliver Cole and Michael Gracey.

Better man Also starring are Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Damon Herriman, Raechelle Banno, Alison Steadman, Kate Mulvaney, Frazer Hadfield, Tom Budge and Anthony Hayes. The film is scheduled to be released in select US theaters on December 25th. Across the US on January 17th.