Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann is headed back to the Cannes Film Festival with his newest film, Elvis. The film from Warner Bros. will feature Austin Butler as Elvis Presley and Olivia DeJonge as his wife, Priscilla. Tom Hanks, Richard Roxburgh, Helen Thomson, Gary Clark Jr., The Power of the Dog's Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Stranger Things' Dacre Montgomery are all set to star in the film as various influential figures in the career of Elvis Presley.
Warner Bros.' Elvis will be Luhrmann's fourth film to appear at Cannes. In 1992, Luhrmann's Australian rom-com, Strictly Ballroom, was accepted at the film festival and won the Award of the Youth. In 2001, Luhrmann's Academy Award-winning Moulin Rouge! premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Luhrmann would follow this in 2013 with the opening of the Academy Award-winning film, The Great Gatsby.
As explained by Cannes, Luhrmann's Elvis will follow "the life and music of Elvis Presley, seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker," who will be played in the film 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 festival said. "Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis's life, Priscilla Presley."
Butler has starred in countless projects over his career that began in 2005. Butler built up his resume by landing several roles in well-known teen television series including Ned's Declassified, Hannah Montana, Drake & Josh, and Zoey 101. In 2016, Butler was cast in a lead role in MTV's The Shannara Chronicles. In 2019, Butler was a member of the cast of Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. DeJonge, who will play Priscilla, starred in M. Night Shyamalan's 2015 film The Visit. She also had a main role in the Netflix series The Society, which premiered on the streaming platform in 2019.
Elvis is slated to release in late June. The film will release on June 24 in North America but will become available two days earlier for the rest of the world. The official trailer for the film was released last month, giving viewers a chance to see Butler in action as Elvis, the iconic rock-and-roll musician. Per the schedule Warner Bros. is releasing its films on, Elvis will also become available to stream on HBO Max 45 days following its theatrical release. Elvis will join Luhrmann's Warner Bros. production of The Great Gatsby, which is currently streaming on the platform.
Luhrmann's successful film career already gives Elvis a triumphant leg to stand on. Given Luhrmann's success with opening at the Cannes Film Festival, it could mean that his newest project will continue the trend Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby have previously set by winning Academy Awards. At this year's ceremony, Kristen Stewart's portrayal of Princess Diana in Spencer earned her an Academy Award nomination. Only time will tell how Butler and DeJonge's performances will fare with critics.
The Cannes Film Festival will take place from May 17-28, 2022.
Source: Cannes Film Festival