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Hello and good morning to Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. This morning I awoke with minor heart palpitations. It wasn’t from a slight over caffeination but the release of Baz Luhrmann’s long-awaited official trailer to ELVIS. The forthcoming film will explore the life of Elvis Presley across 20 years and in three parts. According to the synopsis, it is told through the prism of his complicated relationship with manager, Colonel Tom Parker (played by Hanks).
“The story delves into the complex dynamic between Presley and Parker spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America,” the film’s description reads. “Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).”
Before you ask, yes, that is Butler’s own voice that sings the likes of “Suspicious Minds,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Jailhouse Rock” and “Unchained Melody” in the trailer.
“When I began the process, I set out to get my voice to be identical. That instills fear. So that got the fire burning,” Butler said at a virtual press conference for the film, per The Hollywood Reporter. “For a year before we started shooting, I was doing voice coaching.”
The film was over two years in the making after production was halted due to worldwide lockdowns in 2020. Hanks had arrived in Australia in March 2020 for production only to have contracted COVID-19. The majority of filming took place in Queensland, Australia.
Butler beat out three other A-list actors for the role of Presley including Harry Styles, Ansel Elgort and Miles Teller.
“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,” said Luhrmann. “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.”
The films also stars Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Olivia DeJonge, Luke Bracey, Natasha Bassett, David Wenham, Xavier Samuel and Kodi Smit-McPhee.
ELVIS will release into Australian cinemas from June 23, 2022. Mark. Your. Calendars.
