Since the “Elvis” movie was announced in 2014, fans of Elvis Presley have been eagerly anticipating the film. Now seven years later, they might get their wish. The movie was confirmed in 2019, but it was suspended with several others because of the pandemic.
“Elvis” was originally supposed to be released in October but was delayed. According to the movie’s director, Baz Luhrmann, it is currently back on track, and the current release date is June 2022.
After a very publicized search, Austin Butler got the lead role in the film. Butler is known for his roles in movies like “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “The Dead Don’t Die,” and in Nickelodeon shows like “Zoey 101” and “Ned’s Declassified Survival Guide.”
Butler Is Elvis
When Butler got the lead role, he knocked out actors like Harry Styles, Ansel Elgort, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Miles Teller. In addition to his acting, the California native also has a musical background, making him a perfect fit for the role of the “Jailhouse Rock” singer.
The actor told Interview, “I play the guitar and the piano, and my first instrument was the violin. When I was in elementary school, I began playing the violin. I fell in love with the guitar when I was 13 years old. I’d play for eight hours a day, and it became an obsession for me.”
The “Moulin Rouge” director gushed about how well Butler was playing the complex role while filming in early 2020. “I always avoid getting in and heralding the work we’re doing, before we do it, but during the testing process, his commitment, his transformative abilities from the young Elvis to beyond, he had been playing so very well. He was terrific. There was such great energy and excitement in the cast and company about the show we were about to shoot.”
Everything We Know About The Movie
“Elvis” is a biopic about the legendary Elvis Presley. The movie has been in the works since 2014 but finally started filming in 2019. The filming was cut short with the onset of the coronavirus and when Tom Hanks, one of the lead characters, fell sick on set.
The director announced that the movie was back on track and gave the release date for the movie as June 24, 2022. He also posted the trailer of the movie via a Twitter post captioned, “Elvis Monday. Made a little something to let you good people know we are taking care of business on June 24, 2022.”
Elvis Monday⚡️
Made a little something to let you good people know we are taking care of business on June 24, 2022.#Elvis #TCB pic.twitter.com/grf8IGqfw9
— Baz Luhrmann (@bazluhrmann) November 15, 2021
While specifics of the movie are still under wraps, it will kick off with Presley’s early days; Chaydon Jay will play the role of preteen Presley. The singer got married to Pricilla Presley in 1967, so the movie probably goes that far in his career. It could also include Presley’s famous ’68 Comeback Special,” with Dacre Montgomery as Steve Binder, the concert director.
Hanks Came Down With COVID On Set
When the coronavirus hit hard in early 2020, Hanks was one of its victims. In the movie, the actor played Elvis’ manager, Colonel Tom Parker. He contracted the virus while on set in Australia and became one of the first known infected celebrities.
After discovering that he was infected, the Oscar-winning actor was quarantined in a hospital for three days to be sure of the diagnosis. “It was relatively early in Australia’s response to the coronavirus, and they wanted us to not give it to anyone else,” he said to Variety. “That’s why we were in lockdown,” the actor said.
Luhrmann didn’t see all the bad in the illness. In an interview with Deadline, the film director said that it wasn’t all bad when the actor got infected because “everyone went, this is real. He became an advertisement for it.”
Other movie stars in the series include Olivia DeJonge as Pricilla Presley, Helen Thompson, and Richard Roxburgh as the singer’s parents. Legendary musicians like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, B.B. King, Little Richard, Hank Snow, and Jimmie Rodgers are also expected to give cameo appearances.
‘Elvis’ Was Suspended Because Of The Pandemic
In his Deadline interview, Luhrmann spoke about how the show came to a standstill in 2019. Besides the suspension, the producers could hardly go on with one of their lead characters sick.
Patrick McCormick, the producer, noted that Hanks was ill while on set, which led to an immediate shutdown of activities. Hanks and his wife went down with the virus and left to take care of themselves and quarantine.
After the actor was diagnosed, they watched footage of the whole rehearsal to determine how many people contacted the actor or were even near the actor for a long time. Everyone, including Butler and Luhrmann, was quarantined for 14 days after the incident, but no other person was infected.
