Elvis Presley Movie Reveals First Look at Austin Butler as the King

Director Baz Luhrmann shared the first footage from his upcoming biopic about Elvis Presley, starring Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actor Austin Butler in the main role. The brief glimpse gave a look at scenes from the late 1960s, hinting that the movie might be covering multiple eras of the King’s life. The still-untitled movie also stars Tom Hanks as Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

“Made a little something to let you good people know we are taking care of business on June 24, 2022,” Luhrmann tweeted on Monday, including the film’s planned release date. The teaser definitely has plenty of glitzy Luhrmann touches, which should be expected from the director of Moulin Rogue!, Romeo + Juliet, the 2013 adaptation of The Great Gatsby, and Netflix’s The Get Down. The footage is set to a slow version of “Suspicious Minds,” and includes a shot of the film’s ’68 Comeback Special scene. There is also a shot of Presley in an all-white Vegas-style suit before the “Taking Care of Business” logo is shown.

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The footage’s release comes after Warner Bros. announced the new release date Luhrmann mentioned in his tweet. The movie was scheduled for June 3, 2022, but it was pushed back to June 24, 2022, on Monday, Deadline reports. Warner Bros., which is releasing the film everywhere except Lurhmann’s native Australia and New Zealand, will not give the film an early HBO Max release as it had for its 2021 releases. June 24 became available for the Elvis movie after Paramount delayed Transformers: Rise of the Beasts to June 9, 2023. The only other movie opening on June 24 is Sony’s Where the Crawdads Sing, produced by Reese Witherspoon.

Luhrmann’s film will track the 20-year relationship between Presley and Parker, one of the strangest figures in music history. Parker was never a real colonel and kept the fact that he was born in the Netherlands a secret for years. He discovered Presley in 1955 and had incredible control over his career until 1968 when Presley made his successful comeback. Parker remained Presley’s manager until Presley’s death in 1977. He remained the manager of Presley’s estate until his death in 1997.

The cast for the Elvis movie also includes Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla Presley, Yola Quarterly as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Luke Bracey as Jery Schilling, and Kevin Harrison Jr. as B.B. King. Luhrmann and Jeremy Doner are credited with the story. The screenplay is credited to three teams: Luhrmann and Sam Brommell; Lurhmann and Craig Pearce; and Doner.