Posted in: Casting, Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: baz luhrmann, elvis presley, tom hanks, Warner Bros

Baz Luhrmann Searching for Perfect Presley Opposite Hanks

Baz Luhrmann is making an Elvis Presely movie for Warner Bros. Let that sink in for a moment. The incredibly visual director is helming a film that focuses on the relationship between Elvis Aaron Presley and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

According to Deadline, contenders for the Kingly role have been Ansel Elgort, who thrilled audiences as Baby in Baby Driver; Miles Teller, who isn't at all responsible for the terrible Fantastic Four movie; Austin Butler, who is about to show the world his acting chops in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood; and Harry Styles, who might surprise some folks since his claim to fame is solely through music.

The part of Colonel Tom Parker has already been cast, so whoever ends up playing Presley in Baz Luhrmann's film is going to need to be able to hold their own against the raw power of Tom Hanks.

Frankly, my money is on Harry Styles. He doesn't have a lot of acting background, but he does have the charm, charisma, and vocal range.

Baz Luhrmann will be directing his own script, which tells the story of how a dirt-poor kid from Memphis, Tennessee, rose up to become one of the most famous people in music history. Presley, as a young man, had been too shy to perform music much, and actually failed music classes in school. That all changed, though, when he started hanging out at the Beale Street music venues, where he was exposed to music from black artists, who were changing the sound of contemporary American music.

Colonel Tom Parker, who wasn't actually a colonel, heard Presley and his band mates playing at Sun Records, and soon became the musician's manager. The relationship saw Parker making an awful lot of money from his act, with some accounts saying that Parker took half of Presley's earnings during their working relationship.

Parker also moved Presley into some interesting career choices, insisting that the singer focus on movies instead of touring, so Luhrmann is going to have plenty of opportunities to go over the top with musical numbers. That's kind of his thing, right?

Whoever gets the part, an Elvis Presley movie from Baz Luhrmann is certain to be visually stunning, with an amazing soundtrack to boot. We'll keep you updated on this movie project as it develops!

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