In the movie world, there’s only one film on everybody’s lips right now, and that’s the Elvis Presley biopic, aptly named Elvis. While it may have only become a hot topic recently, it has been a project in the works for some time now, originally announced way back in 2019, in those halcyon pre-Covid days. Aaah, simpler times.
Like with many things, the pandemic pushed back production, leading to delays in a release date, but we now finally have one, as well as some specific details about what to expect.
The movie is directed by Baz Luhrmann, who is best known for blow-the-budget big screen hits like The Great Gatsby, Romeo & Juliet and Moulin Rouge, and also stars Austin Butler, a star you may already recognise for his work in TV and film.
Want to know more? We’ve got all the deets below…
What will the Elvis Presley biopic be about?
A press release shared back in 2019 revealed that the biopic will unsurprisingly revolve around Presley and his musical genius, but “through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker.” The tale will be told across a 20 year period, beginning with when the singer first rose to fame.
However, the movie’s director Baz Luhrmann has explained that the project is more about the era in which Elvis lived and performed, rather than detailing his life per se.
“When I look at musical biography, it’s not really about the life [of the artist],” he told the Australian Financial Review. “I’m not about lionising Elvis. I just saw him as the best canvas on which to explore America in the modern age, the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.”
“Elvis represents what happens when a kid lives in one of four designated white houses in a black community,” he added. “Something new comes about, a fusion between country and African-American music, gospel and country-and-western music.”
Who is in the cast of the Elvis Presley biopic?
As mentioned, rising star Austin Butler will take a star turn as Elvis himself.
Butler is best known so far for appearing in The Dead Don’t Die, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He’s also currently filming a lead role in the Apple TV+ miniseries Masters of the Air.
Alongside Butler in the other key role will be Tom Hanks, who plays Elvis’ manager Colonel Tom Parker. Olivia DeJonge will also appear as as Elvis’ wife Priscilla Presley, along with Yola Quartey as musician Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Luke Bracey as talent manager Jerry Schilling.
Casting was a crucial part of bringing the story to life for director Luhrmann, who said in a statement in 2019 regarding finding the right Elvis:
“I knew I couldn’t make this film if the casting wasn’t absolutely right, and we searched thoroughly for an actor with the ability to evoke the singular natural movement and vocal qualities of this peerless star, but also the inner vulnerability of the artist.”