‘Elvis’ trailer shows king of rock and roll in flashy glory

Elvis is in the building, as we see in the new trailer of the Baz Luhrmann movie. The upcoming biopic, titled ‘Elvis’, stars Austin Butler of ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ fame, in the protagonist’s role. The first look shows an uncanny resemblance with the king of rock and roll.

The trailer shows Elvis’ love for music and where it stemmed from, and even gives a glimpse into his first performance. The moment he’s up on stage, Elvis transforms and amazes everyone in the crowd, including his future manager, Tom Parker. Then we see how he cements the stardom and the way historical events like Martin Luther King’s assassination in Memphis affect Elvis’ career trajectory. 

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Mostly the movie focuses on two decades of Presley’s life up until his untimely death in 1977 at the age of 42. It shows how Elvis had a complex relationship with his manager Parker, played by Tom Hanks. We trace his rise to fame despite coming from poverty. Maggie Gyllenhaal also appears as Gladys Presley, the legendary singer’s mother.

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This film is Luhrmann’s first directorial venture since ‘The Great Gatsby’ in 2013. He was attached to direct for a long time, but ‘Elvis’ kept running into delays. Butler was cast in the role and the announcement was made in 2019, but numerous stars including Harry Styles and Ansel Elgort were considered for the part. 

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While the movie’s production started in Australia in 2020, it had to be halted when Hanks and his wife tested COVID positive. Notably, they were among the first celebrities to decide to share the diagnosis publicly. Shooting resumed later that year, but the pandemic kept causing delays.

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Currently, the movie is set to hit theatres on June 24 and will get a release on HBO Max, 45 days after.