I am fascinated by some of the choices made. Parker's accent, for one. The Elvis fanatics and those that are craving that one biopic that's going to present the historical record beat for beat are going to be disappointed, I feel. I also don't think that outcome was avoidable, either. This looks to be a tone poem or an art exhibit, not a strict biography.
It looks like they did get some nods from the more credible biographies I've read (pretending to be Captain Marvel, the tent revivals, meeting B.B. King backstage, etc.) and giving it a jet-propelled style. For me, it doesn't have to be a beat by beat biography (which would be impossible to completely get right). But give me the story of the kid from Tupelo who grew up and shook the world, and entertain me with some great music along the way. I understand some things are going to have to be compressed for timing and some things may not go with the grain of what we may have from accounts and bios. But tell the main story. Something that could never be believed because it's about a one in a billion person that had God-given talent that changed music, scared parents and a person behind the scenes that had a Svengali-like hold on him.
Yup. Take my money. This looks like a ton of fun. Exploring the dynamic between Elvis and Parker is a genius stroke. dan c
Cringe-worthy, for sure. I shudder to think how people are indoctrinated into these kind of "bio-pics", they call them. Honestly, though, I realize I am not the target audience for these kind of movies. I'm sure it will be a big hit and make lots of $$.
Details from the trailer. From Oscar-nominated visionary filmmaker Baz Luhrmann comes Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama “Elvis,” starring Austin Butler and Oscar winner Tom Hanks. The film explores the life and music of Elvis Presley (Butler), seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (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. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge). Starring alongside Hanks and Butler, award-winning theatre actress Helen Thomson (“Top of the Lake: China Girl,” “Rake”) plays Elvis’s mother, Gladys, Richard Roxburgh (“Moulin Rouge!” “Breath,” “Hacksaw Ridge”) portrays Elvis’s father, Vernon, and DeJonge (“The Visit,” “Stray Dolls”) plays Priscilla. Luke Bracey (“Hacksaw Ridge,” “Point Break”) plays Jerry Schilling, Natasha Bassett (“Hail, Caesar!”) plays Dixie Locke, David Wenham (“The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, “Lion,” “300”) plays Hank Snow, Kelvin Harrison Jr. (“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “The High Note”) plays B.B. King, Xavier Samuel (“Adore,” “Love & Friendship,” “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”) plays Scotty Moore, and Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”) plays Jimmie Rodgers Snow. Also in the cast, Dacre Montgomery (“Stranger Things,” “The Broken Heart Gallery”) plays TV director Steve Binder, alongside Australian actors Leon Ford (“Gallipoli,” “The Pacific”) as Tom Diskin, Kate Mulvany (“The Great Gatsby,” “Hunters”) as Marion Keisker, Gareth Davies (“Peter Rabbit,” “Hunters”) as Bones Howe, Charles Grounds (“Crazy Rich Asians,” “Camp”) as Billy Smith, Josh McConville (“Fantasy Island”) as Sam Phillips, and Adam Dunn (“Home and Away”) as Bill Black. To play additional iconic musical artists in the film, Luhrmann cast singer/songwriter Yola as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, model Alton Mason as Little Richard, Austin, Texas native Gary Clark Jr. as Arthur Crudup, and artist Shonka Dukureh as Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton. Oscar nominee Luhrmann (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”) directed from a screenplay by Baz Luhrmann & Sam Bromell and Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce and Jeremy Doner, story by Baz Luhrmann and Jeremy Doner. The film’s producers are Luhrmann, Oscar winner Catherine Martin (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”), Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss. Courtenay Valenti and Kevin McCormick executive produced. The director’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Mandy Walker (“Mulan,” “Australia”), Oscar-winning production designer and costume designer Catherine Martin (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”), production designer Karen Murphy (“A Star Is Born”), editors Matt Villa (“The Great Gatsby,” “Australia”) and Jonathan Redmond (“The Great Gatsby”), Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor Thomas Wood (“Mad Max: Fury Road”), music supervisor Anton Monsted (“Australia,” “Moulin Rouge!”) and composer Elliott Wheeler (“The Get Down”). Principal photography on “Elvis” took place in Queensland, Australia with the support of the Queensland Government, Screen Queensland and the Australian Government’s Producer Offset program. A Warner Bros. Pictures Presentation, A Bazmark Production, A Jackal Group Production, A Baz Luhrmann Film, “Elvis” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is set to release in theaters in North America on June 24, 2022, and internationally beginning 22 June 2022.
That trailer looks like this movie will be literally the worst movie ever made. I’m a big Elvis fan but I just can’t deal with this.
Just one good one about him would be nice. Or rather one at least partially quite nasty. I'm not sure this is the Elvis film aficionados are looking for.
I love Elvis, but I hate music biopics, as they always follow the same tired story beats. Plus, you can't squeeze a man's whole life into a two-hour movie; you always end up with a kind of "greatest hits" overview: remember when he did this? Remember when he did that?
I'm wondering why a serious film can't be made about him at this point. Still too many fingers in the pie I guess; milking that sacred cow long after its death...
Final judgment to be sure; the trailer MIGHT be misleading, but I get the strong sense that this isn't a serious film about an absolutely incredible topic, and that's a real shame. Perhaps the almighty dollar still rules his life, even in death.
I don't know. Hearing the voiceover from Hanks as the Colonel, saying about him being made out to be the bad guy sounds like it's going to tell some of the story behind Elvis, as well as a scene where he's talking to the Memphis Mafia about going back to who he was (and that looks like one of those RV driving trips to LA when Elvis just pulled over after having a panic attack or nervous breakdown).
Ok, I gotta admit the trailer has me pretty pumped. I'm in the "it may suck, but I need to see this" zone.
I agree about the cringe-worthy. Disagree about the big hit. No one cares. I think it will bomb. Save bio-pics for distant historical figures. For anyone that has tons of actual footage, just make a documentary. On that note, I'll just skip this and watch TTWII for the 100th time.
I like a good biopic. I enjoyed Ray, hated Bohemian Rhapsody, liked Rocket Man. It's a crapshoot. I keep meaning to watch the James Brown one from a few years ago that's on Netflix or HBO or whatever. This looks like an absolute hot mess though. I question how much money it'll make because...I question how many people who still go see movies care about Elvis? IMO it doesn't seem like a super compelling story from a modern perspective, unless you're really amused by 50's puritanism and everyone freaking out about his stage movements. But I'd expect it to be extremely dramatized, perhaps almost to the point where it could be Dewey Cox or Conrad Birdie and have it not really affect the movie that much aside from the soundtrack.
The only thing - so far - that bums me out is that it was filmed outside of the US. I’d like to have seen some actual location work where some of the events occurred.
Yes. Gospel being the no. 1 influence. Baz' conversations with Elvis' African-American childhood friend Sam Bell, feature prominently in the trailer. This is a new and refreshing reframing of the story.
I don't even think of it as an Elvis movie, I think of it as a Baz movie. And I think the world needs more of them, although I also realize there are those who disagree.
This is not just a biopic of Elvis Presley, it's a Baz Luhrmann film. He's the sort of director that people either love or hate. He did Romeo and Juliet by placing it in modern-day Venice Beach, he did the Great Gatsby with modern music.
