Baz Luhrmann's Elvis is a movie about the one and only Elvis Presley.
So why did his daughter Lisa Marie love the movie so much, and why did it take eight years
to make?
This is everything you need to know about Elvis.
A long wait
Prior to its production and release, Baz Luhrmann's Elvis was trapped in development hell for
quite a long time.
Rumblings of the movie date back to 2014, but after initial reports made the rounds,
audiences were left with radio silence for years.
Thankfully, 2019 saw a breakthrough in the movie's development, and by January of 2020,
principal photography kicked off.
The COVID-19 pandemic inevitably halted filming in March of that year, which didn't pick up
again until September.
As 2021 ended, fans of Luhrmann and Elivs Presley wondered when they would finally see
the finished product.
The answer isn't hard to find, seeing as Baz Luhrmann himself addressed it via Twitter
on November 15, 2021.
He wrote:
"Elvis Monday.
Made a little something to let you good people know we are taking care of business."
In that post, he shared that the "Elvis" release date was June 24, 2022.
To build a bit more excitement, he included a brief teaser for the biopic set to a rather
haunting rendition of the classic Presley track, "Suspicious Minds."
A different approach
A big reason why biopics are so popular probably has to do with the fact that the story is
already written.
In most cases, these movies are about people whose lives have come to a conclusion, so
the beginning, middle, and end of the story is all there for the picking.
Baz Luhrmann easily could've made Elvis a paint-by-numbers kind of movie, but fans of
the stylish director don't need to be told that his approach is more ambitious.
Instead of making a movie covering Elvis Presley's entire life, the director instead sought to
focus on the star's complicated partnership with his manager, Tom Parker, over the course
of 20 years.
"Are you ready to fly?"
"I'm ready.
Ready to fly."
At the same time, Luhrmann's movie also explores the cultural shift that accompanied the real-life
Elvis' rise to fame.
The superstar singer played a big part in the wave that saw American youth rejecting
long standing social norms through his provocative dancing and loud, brash music.
The movie also will show the development of his romantic relationship with his wife Priscilla.
With all of those pieces in play, Elvis has the potential to be one of the more interesting
biographical dramas we've seen in quite some time.
Austin Butler as Elvis
Though several actors were in the running, the role of Elvis ultimately went to Austin
Butler, a choice director Baz Luhrmann seemed to think was a no-brainer.
Speaking with Deadline, Luhrmann had this to say:
"​​I had heard about Austin Butler from his stand-out role opposite Denzel Washington
in 'The Iceman Cometh' on Broadway, and through a journey of extensive screen testing and
music and performance workshops, I knew unequivocally that I had found someone who could embody
the spirit of one of the world's most iconic musical figures."
Butler revealed to Vogue that his ex-girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens once told him he had to play
Elvis after hearing him sing along to "Blue Christmas."
Shortly after that conversation, Butler learned Luhrmann was working on an Elvis film, so
he started listening to every song by the singer on repeat.
He prepared one audition tape that he didn't feel totally satisfied with, and later recorded
himself performing "Unchained Melody"in Elvis' style – a performance which floored Luhrmann.
Hudgens' prediction that Butler was meant to play Elvis seems to have been right on
the money.
After well over a decade of starring in pre-teen and teenage sitcoms and dramas, Butler is
finally moving into the spotlight in major motion pictures.
The actor gave moviegoers a small taste of what he has to offer when he played the menacing
Tex in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but Elvis gives him the chance to showcase his
talents as a leading man.
Tom Hanks as…
Tom
Alongside Austin Butler, Tom Hanks plays a lead role in Elvis.
The two-time Academy Award winner portrays Elvis' longtime manager Colonel Tom Parker
in the film.
The real-life Parker saw Elvis performing at the Louisiana Hayride in January 1955 and
became determined to make him a star.
In Elvis, Hanks steps into a role that differs from his long list of everyman, nice-guy performances.
While Parker isn't necessarily a villain, he's not quite a good guy either, giving Hanks
the chance to sink his teeth into a more devious role than usual.
As the artist's manager, Parker took half of Elvis' earnings throughout his time in
the music industry, and was reportedly responsible for most of his major career moves.
"We are the same.
You and I.
We are two odd lonely children reaching for eternity."
On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Hanks said,
"He was both a genius and a scoundrel.
He was a very disciplined man, but also a guy who you might want to check your wallet
to make sure you still have all those fives and tens."
Baz Luhrmann promises an exceptional performance by Hanks.
In an interview with CinemaBlend, he's quoted as saying,
"When it comes to Colonel Tom Parker, [...] one of my great joys in life is working with well-known
actors who are very well known for certain strings on their instrument.
So one of the great thrills in working with Tom, who is the Rolls Royce of actors, I mean,
you know, that is a ride you want to be on."
Luhrmann went on to say that Hanks will be, quote, "playing a new string on his instrument"
in his Elvis film, and he thinks that's a thrilling thing to see.
Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla
In October 2019, it was revealed that Olivia DeJonge had been cast as Priscilla Presley
in Elvis.
While she's best known for her roles in the TV shows The Society and The Staircase, DeJonge
isn't a stranger to feature films, having appeared in the likes of The Visit, Better
Watch Out, and Stray Dolls.
This role might be her biggest to date.
The casting of Priscilla was just as important as finding the right Elvis, but Luhrmann is
confident that he made the right choice in DeJonge.
In one statement, the director said,
"Olivia is capable of manifesting the complex depth and presence that has made Priscilla
Presley an icon in her own right.
She's an extremely talented young actor and the perfect counterpoint to Austin's Elvis."
Priscilla and Elvis were married for six years and had one daughter, Lisa Marie Presley.
They met when Priscilla was 14 and would tie the knot years later.
Their ten-year age difference was a major talking point for Tom Parker, Priscilla's
parents, and the media.
Dacre Montgomery is Steve Binder
In September 2020, Variety revealed that Australian actor Dacre Montgomery was set to play Steve
Binder in Elvis.
Montgomery's first major movie role was in 2017's Power Rangers, but he is mainly known
for playing the bully Billy Hargrove in the second and third seasons of Stranger Things.
In a statement shared by Variety, Baz Luhrmann said he was excited about adding some talented
Australian actors to the Elvis roster, which included those he had worked with before and
newcomers like Montgomery.
The director also tweeted about the joy of working with the young Aussie and revealed
that he has a "very important role" in the film.
Steve Binder was the director of Elvis: The Comeback Special in 1968, which marked the
beginning of his relationship with Elvis.
In an interview with Elvis Australia, Binder detailed the intense preparation of the special,
which he spent a hefty amount of time planning with the singer and Tom Parker.
This marked the only program Binder worked directly with Elvis on, but he edited or directed
a handful of Elvis-related projects after the singer's death in 1977.
David Wenham as Hank Snow
Mentioned in a Variety exclusive was the casting of David Wenham, who plays the country singer
Hank Snow.
This is the third time Wenham and Baz Luhrmann have worked together, the first being 2001's
Moulin Rouge, and the second being 2008's Australia.
In a tweet from February 2022, Luhrmann wrote,
"David's range as an actor is such that I'm sure that some of you may not recognize him
from my previous films."
The director included three photos of Wenham portraying his characters from each movie
for comparison.
Hank Snow is known for country hits from the 50s and 60s like "I've Been Everywhere," "I'm
Movin' On," and "I Don't Hurt Anymore." Snow served as a mentor to Elvis when the latter
was starting his career, and they eventually toured together.
Snow claimed that he and Colonel Tom Parker were managing Elvis together, and even prepared
a lawsuit when Parker took the reins himself.
He never filed the lawsuit, which was discovered years later by collector Stephen Shutts and
sold at auction for over $4,000.
Rounding out the cast of Elvis is Luke Bracey as Jerry Schilling, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as
B.B.
King, Natasha Bassett as Dixie Locke, and Kate Mulvany as Marion Keisker.
Playing Elvis' parents, Vernon Presley and Gladys Presley, are Richard Roxburgh and Helen
Thomson.
Jerry Schilling was a longtime friend of Elvis and his talent agent, while Marion Keisker
was the first person to ever record the singer.
Dixie Locke was an actor and Elvis' first girlfriend, while most people will no doubt
recognize B.B.
King as one of the best blues musicians of all time.
Does Butler sing?
Joaquin Phoenix sang in the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, as did Taron Egerton when he
played Elton John in Rocketman.
But what about Elvis star Austin Butler?
The actor confirmed to Variety in 2019 that he would be doing his own singing in the film,
and that his preparations included hours and hours of hard work.
When asked if he had a favorite song he was excited to perform in the movie, Butler said
he couldn't narrow it down to one; he said he loves them all.
The only thing he wanted to do was to make certain he sounded exactly like Elvis.
Butler told the Hollywood Reporter:
"When I began the process, I set out to get my voice to be identical.
That instills fear.
So that got the fire burning.
For a year before we started shooting, I was doing voice coaching."
However, there is a caveat to all of this.
Baz Luhrmann has confirmed that only the young Elvis features Butler's singing voice.
The older Elvis is a mixture of Butler and recordings of the actual Elvis Presley.
While Butler's voice will be featured in every song in the film, longtime fans of The King
may be able to recognize his signature tones in the blended tracks.
Family reaction
Biopics can be a tricky business.
It's always possible the fan base or family of the subject could be offended by the things
they see in the film.
Kathy Cash, the daughter of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, was so upset with how her
mother was portrayed in Walk the Line that she walked out of a special screening of the
film.
Luckily for Baz Luhrmann and his cast, that wasn't the case when friends and family members
sat down to watch Elvis for the first time.
Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie Presley, and Jerry Schilling were given a special screening
of Elvis, and all have confirmed they are extremely happy with it.
In a Facebook post, Priscilla wrote,
"It is a true story told brilliantly and creatively that only Baz, in his unique artistic way,
could have delivered.
Austin Butler, who played Elvis, is outstanding.
Halfway through the film Jerry and I looked at each other and said WOW!!!
Bravo to him...
He knew he had big shoes to fill."
Additionally, in an Instagram post, Priscilla confirmed that her daughter Lisa Marie absolutely
loved the movie.
She said her daughter's admiration for the picture made her cry.
The caption read,
"It took me a few days to overcome the emotions as it did with Lisa.
Beautifully done Baz, Tom, Austin, and Olivia."
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