While the Elvis estate and family were heavily involved with and approved Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic, a new release based on Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir and focusing on her life with the rock star isn’t landing as well with the estate.
According to ET Canada, officials from the estate are upset the film is being produced with their knowledge or consent, with a reported insider who has seen the movie criticizing it as “horrible.” “It feels like a college movie. The set designs are just horrific, it’s not what Graceland looks like,” the source alleged.
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But not everybody from Elvis’ life is upset about the new movie. Priscilla Presley herself is thrilled to have Sofia Coppola directing her story. “I am very excited to see the interpretation of my book by the masterful Sofia Coppola,” Presley told TMZ. “She has such an extraordinary perspective and I have always been such an admirer of her work. I’m certain this movie will take everyone on an emotional journey.”
Priscilla is set to hit theaters later in the year. It will be the second time that Presley’s book has been adapted for the screen. It was first adapted as a TV movie in 1988, around three years after Presley’s book released.
The latest is Priscilla from Sofia Coppola, starring Jacob Elordi of Euphoria fame as Elvis Presley and Cailee Spaeny starring as the titular bride. Presley is a producer on the film and Coppola shared her excitement to work on the project with Vogue.
“She’s an executive producer! I’ve met with her a few times, and she’s been incredibly open. She’s also been really supportive of Cailee as we head into filming,” Coppola told the outlet. “It’s really unique to talk to her about the film since I’ve never made something about a real person who was still living-The Bling Ring aside. But I want it to feel emotionally authentic. She’s probably told these stories a million times, so I feel grateful that she’s been so patient. It’s amazing how much detail she can recall from that time in her life.”
“The hardest part of writing the script was just editing down so many incredible details from Priscilla’s memoir,” she adds. “I was interested in trying to imagine what growing up in that world must have looked like through her eyes.”
