Moviefone Editorial

Tag: Elvis

Best Movies of 2022

A24

Coming out of the pandemic, 2022 turned out to be a great year for cinema!

It began with a new take on the Dark Knight from Matt Reeves‘ ‘The Batman,’ followed by the surprise hit ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once,’ then the summer blockbuster sequel ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ and finishing off with James Cameron‘s long-awaited ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ its truly been an amazing year for movies.

With the year quickly coming to a close, Moviefone has assembled its list of the 22 best movies of 2022.

Let’s begin and Happy New Year!

22. ‘Babylon‘ (2022)

Paramount Pictures

From Damien Chazelle, “Babylon’ is an original epic set in 1920s Los Angeles led by Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Diego Calva, with an ensemble cast including Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li and Jean Smart. A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.
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21. ‘A Man Called Otto‘ (2023)

Sony Pictures

Actually opening in limited release on December 30th, 2022 and directed by Marc Foster, the movie follows the story of Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks), a grumpy widower who is very set in his ways. When a lively young family moves in next door, he meets his match in quick-witted and very pregnant Marisol, (Mariana Treviño) leading to an unlikely friendship that will turn his world upside-down.
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20. ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio‘ (2022)

Netflix

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reinvents Carlo Collodi’s classic tale of the wooden marionette (Gregory Mann) who is magically brought to life in order to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto (David Bradley). This whimsical, stop-motion film directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson follows the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world.
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19. ‘Elvis‘ (2022)

Warner Bros.

Directed by Baz Luhrmann, the film tells the life story of Elvis Presley (Austin Butler) as seen through the complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).
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18. ‘Causeway‘ (2022)

Apple TV+

A US soldier (Jennifer Lawrence) suffers a traumatic brain injury while fighting in Afghanistan and struggles to adjust to life back home in New Orleans. When she meets local mechanic James (Brian Tyree Henry), the pair begin to forge an unexpected bond.
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17. ‘The Fabelmans‘ (2022)

Universal Pictures

Directed by Steven Spielberg and based on his own life story, the movie is set in post-World War II era Arizona and follows young Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle), who aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth. Also starring Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, and Judd Hirsch.
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16. ‘The Woman King‘ (2022)

Sony Pictures

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, ‘The Woman King’ tells the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen.

Inspired by true events, the film follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Oscar-winner Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Some things are worth fighting for!
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15. ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery‘ (2022)

Netflix

Directed by Rian Johnson, world-famous detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) heads to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery surrounding a tech billionaire (Edward Norton) and his eclectic crew of friends (including Janelle Monáe, Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista).
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14. ‘The Batman‘ (2022)

Warner Bros.

Directed by Matt Reeves, ‘The Batman,’ stars Robert Pattinson in the dual role of Gotham City’s vigilante detective and his alter ego, reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne. Also starring Paul Dano as Riddler, Colin Farrell as Penguin, Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, and Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon.
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13. ‘Living‘ (2022)

Lionsgate UK

‘Living’ is the story of an ordinary man (Bill Nighy), reduced by years of oppressive office routine to a shadow existence, who at the eleventh hour makes a supreme effort to turn his dull life into something wonderful – into one he can say has been lived to the full.
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12. ‘Prey‘ (2022)

20th Century Studios

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg and part of the ‘Predator‘ franchise, when danger threatens her camp, the fierce and highly skilled Comanche warrior Naru (Amber Midthunder) sets out to protect her people. But the prey she stalks turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal.
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11. ‘Avatar: The Way of Water‘ (2022)

20th Century Studios

Directed by Oscar-winning director James Cameron and set more than a decade after the events of ‘Avatar,’ the film tells the story of the Sully family (Jake (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.
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10. ‘Three Thousand Years of Longing‘ (2022)

Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures

Directed by George Miller, the film follows Dr. Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton), an academic content with life and a creature of reason. While in Istanbul attending a conference, she happens to encounter a Djinn (Idris Elba) who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom.

This presents two problems. First, she doubts that he is real and second, because she is a scholar of story and mythology, she knows all the cautionary tales of wishes gone wrong. The Djinn pleads his case by telling her fantastical stories of his past, and eventually she is beguiled and makes a wish that surprises them both.
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9. ‘Emily the Criminal‘ (2022)

Roadside Attractions

Emily (Aubrey Plaza) is saddled with student debt and locked out of the job market due to a minor criminal record. Desperate for income, she takes a shady gig as a “dummy shopper,” buying goods with stolen credit cards supplied by a handsome and charismatic middleman named Youcef (Theo Rossi).

Faced with a series of dead-end job interviews, Emily soon finds herself seduced by the quick cash and illicit thrills of black-market capitalism, and increasingly interested in her mentor Youcef. Together, they hatch a plan to bring their business to the next level in Los Angeles.
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8. ‘Top Gun: Maverick‘ (2022)

Paramount Pictures

After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him.

When he finds himself training a detachment of TOPGUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.”

Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.
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7. ‘The Northman‘ (2022)

Focus Features

Directed by Robert Eggers, the film follows Prince Amleth, who on the verge of becoming a man witnesses his father (Ethan Hawke) brutally murdered by his uncle (Claes Bang), who kidnaps the boy’s mother (Nicole Kidman). Two decades later, Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) is now a Viking who’s on a mission to save his mother, kill his uncle and avenge his father.
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6. ‘The Menu‘ (2022)

20th Century Studios

A couple travels (Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult) to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef (Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.
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5. ‘Empire of Light‘ (2022)

20th Century Studios

Directed by Oscar-winner Sam Mendes, the film is a love story set in and around an old cinema on the South Coast of England in the 1980s starring Oscar-winner Olivia Colman, Oscar-winner Colin Firth, and Micheal Ward.
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4. ‘She Said‘ (2022)

Universal Studios

New York Times reporters Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) break one of the most important stories in a generation — a story that helped launch the #MeToo movement and shattered decades of silence around the subject of sexual assault in Hollywood.
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3. ‘Bones and All‘ (2022)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures

Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the film tells the story of first love between Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee (Timothée Chalamet), an intense and disenfranchised drifter. What follows is a liberating road odyssey of two young people coming into their own, searching for identity and chasing beauty in a perilous world that cannot abide who they are.
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2. ‘The Banshees of Inisherin‘ (2022)

20th Century Studios

Directed by Martin McDonagh and set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, the film follows lifelong friends Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson), who find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly puts an end to their friendship.

A stunned Pádraic, aided by his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) and troubled young islander Dominic (Barry Keoghan), endeavours to repair the relationship, refusing to take no for an answer. But Pádraic’s repeated efforts only strengthen his former friend’s resolve and when Colm delivers a desperate ultimatum, events swiftly escalate, with shocking consequences.
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1. ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once‘ (2022)

A24

Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the film is a hilarious and big-hearted sci-fi action adventure about an exhausted Chinese American woman (Michelle Yeoh) who can’t seem to finish her taxes, and must tap into the Multiverse in order to save the world. Also starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan and James Hong.
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December 26, 2022
Golden Globe Nominations Announced

(L to R) Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell in the film ‘The Banshees of Inisherin.’ Photo by Jonathan Hession. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved.

Even as backing organization the Hollywood Foreign Press Association continues to try to dig its way out of an avalanche of scandals about diversity, payments for members and exclusionary tactics, the Golden Globes are making something of comeback after the ceremony wasn’t broadcast this year.

The biggest nominee overall was Martin McDonagh’s ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, with the film scoring nods in Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, Best Director and Screenplay for McDonagh, Best Actor, musical or comedy for Colin Farrell Best Supporting Actor in a motion picture for both Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan, Best Supporting Actress in a motion picture for Kerry Condon and score for Carter Burwell.

Also doing well (somewhat expectedly given its nomination and win success so far) was ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’, also appearing in Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, Best Actress, Musical or Comedy for Michelle Yeoh, Best Supporting actor (Ke Huy Quan) and Best supporting actress (Jamie Lee Curtis), while writer/directors Daniels––AKA Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert––were nominated for their script and direction.

Next on the list was Damien Chazelle’s ‘Babylon’ with nominations in Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy and nods for cast such as Diego Calva, Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt.

(L to R) Gabriel LaBelle and co-writer/producer/director Steven Spielberg on the set of ‘The Fabelmans.’

On the drama front, Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Fabelmans’ was the front-runner, taking a Best Motion Picture, Drama slot (where it will compete against the likes of ‘Elvis’, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’, ‘Tár’ and ‘Top Gun: Maverick’) plus Best Actress (Michelle Williams), Best Director (Spielberg), Screenplay (Spielberg and Tony Kushner) and Best Original Score (John Williams).

Actors nominated in the drama category included ‘Elvis’ Austin Butler, ‘Tár’s Cate Blanchett, ‘Empire of Light’s Olivia Colman, ‘Blonde’s Ana de Armas, Bill Nighy for ‘Living’ and Hugh Jackman for ‘The Son’.

Tom Cruise was surprisingly left out of the acting nominations, though perhaps not too shockingly since he gave back his previous globes in protest against the HFPA’s behavior. We’re more surprised to see Brendan Fraser nominated for ‘The Whale’, since he’s long been on record as criticizing the inappropriate behavior of a former HFPA president towards him from years ago.

The Globes continue to have a bad reputation for almost ignoring female creative talent on the several fronts outside of acting and a few craft categories, but at least ‘Turning Red’s Domee Shi notched up a Best Animated Motion Picture, becoming the first woman of color to have a movie she directed up for an award.

“Turning Red” will debut exclusively on Disney+ (where Disney+ is available) on March 11, 2022. © 2022 Disney/Pixar. All Rights

Here’s the full list of nominations on the film front…

Best Motion Picture – Drama
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’
‘Elvis’
‘The Fabelmans’
‘Tár’
‘Top Gun: Maverick’

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Cate Blanchett, ‘Tár’
Olivia Colman, ‘Empire of Light’
Viola Davis, ‘The Woman King’
Ana de Armas, ‘Blonde’
Michelle Williams, ‘The Fabelmans’

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Austin Butler, ‘Elvis’
Brendan Fraser, ‘The Whale’
Hugh Jackman, ‘The Son’
Bill Nighy, ‘Living’
Jeremy Pope, ‘The Inspection’

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
‘Babylon’
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’
‘Triangle of Sadness’

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Lesley Manville, ‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’
Margot Robbie, ‘Babylon’
Anya Taylor-Joy, ‘The Menu’
Emma Thompson, ‘Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’
Michelle Yeoh, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Diego Calva, ‘Babylon’
Daniel Craig, ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’
Adam Driver, ‘White Noise’
Colin Farrell, ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
Ralph Fiennes, The Menu’’

Best Motion Picture – Animated
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’
‘Inu-Oh’
‘Marcel the Shell With Shoes On’
‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’
‘Turning Red’

Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ (Germany)
‘Argentina, 1985’ (Argentina)
‘Close’ (Belgium)
‘Decision to Leave’ (South Korea)
‘RRR’ (India)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
Angela Bassett, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’
Kerry Condon, ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
Jamie Lee Curtis, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
Dolly De Leon, ‘Triangle of Sadness’
Carey Mulligan, ‘She Said’

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
Brendan Gleeson, ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
Barry Keoghan, ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
Brad Pitt, ‘Babylon’
Ke Huy Quan, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
Eddie Redmayne, ‘The Good Nurse’

Best Director — Motion Picture
James Cameron, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
Baz Luhrmann, ‘Elvis’
Martin McDonagh, ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
Steven Spielberg, ‘The Fabelmans’

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Todd Field, ‘Tár’
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
Martin McDonagh, ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
Sarah Polley, ‘Women Talking’
Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner, ‘The Fabelmans’

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Carter Burwell, ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
Alexandre Desplat, ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’
Hildur Guðnadóttir, ‘Women Talking’
Justin Hurwitz, ‘Babylon’
John Williams, ‘The Fabelmans’

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Carolina,” Taylor Swift (‘Where the Crawdads Sing’)
“Ciao Papa,” Alexandre Desplat, Guillermo del Toro, Roeban Katz (‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’)
“Hold My Hand,” Lady Gaga, BloodPop, Benjamin Rice (‘Top Gun: Maverick’)
“Lift Me Up,” Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson (‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’)
“Naatu Naatu,” Kala Bhairava, M.M. Keeravani, Kala Bhairava, Rahul Sipligunj (‘RRR’)

Quinta Brunson on ABC’s ‘Abbott Elementary.’ Photo Courtesy of ABC’s YouTube Channel.

On the TV side, the nominations were dominated by some familiar titles––‘The Crown’, Better Call Saul’ and ‘Ozark’––while some new arrivals made their mark, including ‘Abbott Elementary’, ‘House of the Dragon’ and ‘Severance’, which have all popped up on other lists.

And there were the usual ‘hoping celebs attend’ listings, including ‘Alaska Daily’ and ‘Gaslit’.

The list of TV nominees is below:

Best Television Series – Drama
‘Better Call Saul’
‘The Crown’
‘House of the Dragon’
‘Ozark’
‘Severance’

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Emma D’Arcy, ‘House of the Dragon’
Laura Linney, ‘Ozark’
Imelda Staunton, ‘The Crown’
Hilary Swank, ‘Alaska Daily’
Zendaya, ‘Euphoria’

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Jeff Bridges, ‘The Old Man’
Kevin Costner, ‘Yellowstone’
Diego Luna, ‘Andor’
Bob Odenkirk, ‘Better Call Saul’
Adam Scott, ‘Severance’

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
‘Abbott Elementary’
‘The Bear’
‘Hacks’
‘Only Murders in the Building’
‘Wednesday’

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Quinta Brunson, ‘Abbott Elementary’
Kaley Cuoco, ‘The Flight Attendant’
Selena Gomez, ‘Only Murders in the Building’
Jenna Ortega, ‘Wednesday’
Jean Smart, ‘Hacks’

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Donald Glover, ‘Atlanta’
Bill Hader, ‘Barry’
Steve Martin, ‘Only Murders in the Building’
Martin Short, ‘Only Murders in the Building’
Jeremy Allen White, ‘The Bear’

Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
‘Black Bird’
‘Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’
‘The Dropout’
‘Pam & Tommy’
‘The White Lotus’

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Jessica Chastain, ‘George and Tammy’
Julia Garner, ‘Inventing Anna’
Lily James, ‘Pam & Tommy’
Julia Roberts, ‘Gaslit’
Amanda Seyfried, ‘The Dropout’

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Taron Egerton, ‘Black Bird’
Colin Firth, ‘The Staircase’
Andrew Garfield, ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’
Evan Peters, ‘Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’
Sebastian Stan, ‘Pam & Tommy’

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Jennifer Coolidge, ‘The White Lotus’
Claire Danes, ‘Fleishman Is in Trouble’
Daisy Edgar-Jones, ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’
Niecy Nash, ‘Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’
Aubrey Plaza, ‘The White Lotus’

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
F. Murray Abraham, ‘The White Lotus’
Domhnall Gleeson, ‘The Patient’
Paul Walter Hauser, ‘Black Bird’
Richard Jenkins, ‘Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’
Seth Rogen, ‘Pam & Tommy’

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical-Comedy or Drama Television Series
Elizabeth Debicki, ‘The Crown’
Hannah Einbinder, ‘Hacks’
Julia Garner, ‘Ozark’
Janelle James, ‘Abbott Elementary’
Sheryl Lee Ralph, ‘Abbott Elementary’

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical-Comedy or Drama Television Series
John Lithgow, ‘The Old Man’
Jonathan Pryce, ‘The Crown’
John Turturro, ‘Severance’
Tyler James Williams, ‘Abbott Elementary’
Henry Winkler, ‘Barry’

The 2023 Golden Globes will air on NBC January 10th, 2023.

The 2023 Golden Globes will air on NBC January 10th, 2023.
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December 12, 2022
Movie Review: ‘Elvis’

Austin Butler as Elvis in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama ‘Elvis,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Opening in theaters on June 24th is ‘Elvis,’ the new musical biopic about the life and career of Elvis Presley, from ‘Moulin Rouge!’ director Baz Luhrmann.

The film stars Austin Butler (‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’) as the title character and chronicles his early days to his success as the world’s most famous musician and movie star, as well as his complex relationships with manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), and his wife Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).

The movie also features Helen Thompson and Richard Roxburgh as Elvis’ parents, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as B.B. King, Alton Mason as Little Richard, Gary Clark Jr. as Arthur Crudup, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Jimmie Rodgers Snow, and Yola Quartey as Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

The result is a true masterpiece of a movie, that is not without its faults, but thanks to the astounding Austin Butler, features one of the greatest performances I’ve ever seen on screen!

Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama ‘Elvis,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Hugh Stewart. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The film is narrated by Hanks’ Colonel Tom Parker, on his death bed as he recounts how he discovered Elvis Presley (Butler). The film then flashes back to the 1940’s when Elvis was a child discovering Gospel and Blues music, and eventually to how he and Parker first met in the early 50’s. Parker, a carnival conman at his core, instantly recognizes the cash cow that Presley will become and after impressing his parents, becomes Elvis’ new manager. The singer quickly becomes a sensation but is accused of deviant behavior because he wiggles his hips while he sings.

To change the course of his career, Parker orchestrates Elvis joining the Army, where he meets a young Priscilla (DeJonge) while overseas. After his stint in the Army, they quickly fall in love and marry, while Elvis returns to making movies. But Parker is unwilling to allow Elvis to stretch his acting chops, and eventually his films and music stop being popular after The Beatles invade America in the early 60’s. With an ever-changing entertainment landscape, and against the wishes of Parker, Presley begins to design his 1968 Comeback Special, that would put him back on top.

Wanting to go on an international tour, Parker, who is not really Tom Parker, has no actual passport and fears losing his star, tricks Elvis into taking a lengthy Las Vegas residency. With his increasing drug habit, carrying of loaded firearms, and an overall unhealthy lifestyle, Elvis finds his life and career at a crossroad in the mid-70’s as friction between him, Parker, and Priscilla, threaten his marriage, career, and ultimately his own life.

I cannot overstate enough how mind-blowingly incredible Austin Butler’s performance as Elvis Presley was. He literally is Elvis! I almost forgot entirely that I was watching an actor give a performance and not “The King“ himself. Butler’s performance transcends any small issues the movie might have, and absolutely makes the film worth watching. This is a career-making performance for Butler, not unlike Jennifer Hudson in ‘Dreamgirls.’

Austin Butler as Elvis in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama ‘Elvis,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

A few years ago, Rami Malek won an Academy Award for playing Freddy Mercury in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ and he didn’t even sing his own songs, not to mention the film was mediocre at best. A year later Taron Egerton was snubbed for an Oscar nomination for his far superior performance as Elton John in ‘Rocketman,’ which is actually a very good movie where Egerton did sing his own songs.

I hope that Austin Butler is not forgotten about at the end of the year because if anyone deserves an Academy Award for a particular performance it’s him for this one. Plus, Butler does sing all the music in the film and sounds exactly like Presley! If for some reason the Academy does not at least nominate Butler, then I recommend Malek do the right thing and just hand his Oscar over to him ASAP.

Director Baz Luhrmann was certainly the right director to bring this story to the big screen, and the direction, the production design, the music, the editing, the cinematography is all top notch. While Luhrmann may receive some criticism for mixing the soundtrack with music of the time and today’s hip hop, I thought it worked very well and gave the movie a contemporary feel.

I did question at first Luhrmann’s choice to use an unreliable narrator in Colonel Tom Parker, who tells the story really as if he was the star and not Elvis. It threw me at first and then I realized that this a person who had been taking credit for Elvis his whole life, so why should the biopic be any different? It actually works by the movie’s end.

(L to R) Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker and Austin Butler as Elvis in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama ‘Elvis,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

I have to say, I wasn’t sure at first if I hated Tom Hanks’ performance, or if I just hated Tom Parker. I now realize that it was the later, and that is quite an accomplishment for the most likable man in Hollywood to pull off playing one of the most despicable human beings to ever live. I can’t say Hanks’ performance does much to humanize Parker, but then again, I’m not sure how much humanity was in the man to begin with.

However, the film is not without its faults, as it is a fairly sanitized version of Elvis’ life. Yes, the movie does touch on his codependent relationship with his mother, his drug use, his love for guns, and his womanizing, but none of those subjects are truly explored in a meaningful way. Even his relationship with Priscilla is shown in a different light than the truth, as the movie never makes mention of the fact that she was only 14-years-old when she started dating Elvis.

But the film does tackle one of Presley’s biggest criticisms, which is that he culturally appropriated his music. The movie’s answer to that criticism is that Elvis did not maliciously do this, he just grew up in an area where that music was popular and truly fell in love with Gospel and the Blues. It also depicts the reaction from that community at the time, which was not of anger, but of pride that their music was finally being heard by the entire world, regardless of who was singing it. That may or may not be accurate, but kudos to the filmmakers for not ignoring that controversy.

The core of the movie really focuses on the relationship between Elvis and Parker, which was an interesting choice, but I guess I just feel like Parker doesn’t deserve that much credit. It would have been nice to focus a little more on Elvis, his relationship with Priscilla, and his eventual downfall.

(L to R) Austin Butler as Elvis and Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama “ELVIS,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

While her part is somewhat small, Olivia DeJonge is absolutely lovely as Priscilla and you really feel how genuinely she loves Elvis, and how painful it was for her to watch his ultimate spiral out of control. The movie is also filled with excellent supporting performances from Kelvin Harrison Jr., Alton Mason, and Yola Quartey as legendary musicians B.B. King, Little Richard, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, respectively.

But in the end, this movie really belongs to Austin Butler and his truly amazing performance as Elvis Presley. The movie, the music, and Butler’s performance will make you fall in love with Presley all over again and is a fitting tribute to “The King.”

Austin Butler as Elvis in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama ‘Elvis,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

‘Elvis’ receives 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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June 25, 2022
Austin Butler Talks ‘Elvis’

Austin Butler as Elvis in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama ‘Elvis,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Opening in theaters on June 24th is the new musical biopic about the life and career of Elvis Presley, simply entitled ‘Elvis,’ which was directed by Baz Luhrmann (‘Moulin Rouge!’).

The film stars Austin Butler (‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’) as the title character and chronicles his early days to his success as a musician and movie star, as well as his complex relationship with manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).

The movie also features Helen Thompson and Richard Roxburgh as Elvis’ parents Gladys and Vernon Presley, Olivia DeJonge as his wife Priscilla Presley, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as B.B. King, Alton Mason as Little Richard, Gary Clark Jr. as Arthur Crudup, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Jimmie Rodgers Snow, and Yola Quartey as Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Austin Butler about his work on ‘Elvis.’
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You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above and watch our interviews with Butler, director by Baz Luhrmann, Olivia DeJonge, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Alton Mason, and Yola Quartey.

Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first meeting with director Baz Luhrmann and the discussions you had about how you wanted to approach playing this role?

Austin Butler: From our very first-time meeting, it was clear to me Baz’s work ethic and his commitment to finding the truth. The first time we met, I’d already been working on it for about a month at this point, just because I knew I was going to be meeting with him eventually.

So, we met and we both just clicked because we were both so fascinated with the fact that behind this icon, or the caricature of Elvis that has been held up in certain people’s minds to an almost godlike status, is this man who came from nothing, and who grew up in one of the few white houses in a Black neighborhood, and the fact that we don’t have Elvis without Black music.

Him growing up in gospel tents, down on Beale Street and juke joints, and the inspiration and love that he had for everything that he was soaking in as a young child. There’re so many things about him that have been misconstrued.

So, for me, I knew that I was interested in who is Elvis when nobody’s looking? Behind this person that everybody thinks they know, who is he in an empty room when he wakes up in the morning, or when he goes to bed at night, or when he’s brushing his teeth? Those little things, that’s what I was really fascinated by. Where’s the humanity of him?

Austin Butler as Elvis in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama ‘Elvis,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Finally, can you talk about developing Elvis’ specific walk, talk and look for the movie?

AB: I had a year and a half before we started shooting where I didn’t do anything else. I just followed my curiosity, really. I watched every frame of footage that is available. I watched every documentary and read every book on his life and listened to every interview he ever gave. You do all that and then you feel kind of like a detective where you’re just asking “why” the whole time.

Why does he touch his face in that way? Why did he make that decision? Why this, why that? Eventually it starts going from this objective process to it being subjective, where you’re feeling it and seeing it through his eyes. So, it’s sort of like seeing a blurry picture that is slowly coming into clarity. I also, I got to say, I had an incredible group of people around me.

So, my movement coach, Polly Bennett, who also worked with many other members of the cast, but she was really vital in my process. My dialect coaches, my singing coaches, karate instructor. I had so many things that I did. I went to Nashville and Memphis with Baz and recorded gospel singers in these tiny churches and felt the spirit of the music, because all of Elvis’s movement came from him being moved by music.

So, it was never about choreographing anything. But here’s the tricky thing, is you want to be incredibly specific. So, you’re going back and forth between never losing the feeling that you get when you’re in a gospel church and you feel the rapture of music, but yet being able to then be incredibly specific with a moment that you’re trying to recreate identically. So, that was my long-winded way of describing to you some of the process.

Austin Butler plays Elvis Presley in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Elvis.’
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June 20, 2022
New ‘Elvis’ Trailer is Ready to Rock

Austin Butler as Elvis Presley in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama ‘Elvis,’a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Elvis Presley might these days be more the butt of jokes about his older, heavier, sparklier days, but when he was young, hungry, and just getting his start, you could already sense the power.

For his new movie, Baz Luhrmann is looking to chronicle a hefty chunk of Presley’s life, but this new trailer for what is simply called ‘Elvis’, focuses more on his earlier years, when the stuffy authorities were horrified at the hip-swiveling musical wonder who sent girls wild with his lip-curling style.

Austin Butler, who has appeared in movies such as ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’, here plays Elvis, and the film explores the life and music of Presley seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom 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. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).

And the main trio are just a sampling of the cast – ‘Elvis’ also includes Helen Thomson as Elvis’s mother, Gladys, Richard Roxburgh as Elvis’s father, Luke, Natasha Bassett as Dixie Locke, David Wenham playing Hank Snow, Kelvin Harrison Jr. bringing to life B.B. King, Xavier Samuel as Scotty Moore, and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Jimmie Rodgers Snow.
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Elvis is not the only iconic musician to show up here, either, as in his life and career, he crossed paths with a swathe of others. Singer/songwriter Yola plays Sister Rosetta Tharpe, model Alton Mason takes on the role of Little Richard, while Gary Clark Jr. is Arthur Crudup, and artist Shonka Dukureh plays Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton. Luhrmann wrote the movie with Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner.

Luhrmann, of course, is no stranger to musical movies, having brought the likes of ‘Moulin Rouge’ and ‘Strictly Ballroom’ to life, while the stylish period dramas on his resume include ‘Australia’ and ‘The Great Gatsby’. And ‘Elvis’ certainly offers the opportunity to combine both classic tunes and costumes.

It has been nine years since Lurhmann was behind the camera for a movie – he did make Netflix’s hip-hop drama ‘The Get Down’ in the meantime and has worked on various commercials, but it’s good to see him return to theaters. Butler, meanwhile, has shown promise in his other roles and Hanks is, of course, always a reliable performer, even if we’re wondering about his accent work this time. But from the evidence of this, ‘Elvis’ could be a winner from Luhrmann.

‘Elvis’ will be gyrating on to screens on June 24th.

Austin Butler as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis.’ Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.
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May 23, 2022
Warner Bros. Announces Sequel to ‘The Batman’

‘The Batman’ director Matt Reeves at CinemaCon 2022. Photos: Eric Chardonneau.

In news that should surprise exactly no one, Warner Bros. kicked off its CinemaCon presentation this year with the announcement that a sequel to ‘The Batman’ is in the works.

The first movie’s co-writer/director Matt Reeves took the stage at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas to thank exhibitors for their support and to reveal that star Robert Pattinson will be back for a second round of cowl action and that Reeves will be back behind the camera.

Reeves, who co-wrote and directed ‘The Batman’ is returning to pull similar double duty for the sequel. He offered no details on what the story might entail, nor a potential release date, only hinting that more news would come “in a future CinemaCon”.

‘The Batman’ was all but guaranteed a sequel – it’s one of Warners’ marquee properties and launched to a massive $134 million on its first weekend of release domestically. That still ranks as the biggest opening weekend of 2022, as well as only the second pandemic-era movie to cross the $100 million mark in a single weekend following ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’ With $759 million to date at the global box office, ‘The Batman’ is currently the highest grossing movie of the year.
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And Warner Bros. has shown huge faith in the world of the movie, even though it is disconnected from the sprawling DC Extended Universe. More than one HBO Max spin-off is in development based on characters from the film, including a series about Colin Farrell’s Penguin, AKA Oz Cobblepot.

A Batman of a different sort – and universe – was the focus of an early, unfinished trailer for ‘The Flash’, which finds Ezra Miller’s speedster endangering the multiverse to help his family. We’ve known for a while that Michael Keaton is playing Bruce Wayne in the movie, and he shows up in the footage, quoting one of his most famous lines from 1989’s ‘Batman’ – “You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts.” ‘The Flash’ should be in theaters on June 23rd, 2023.
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Margot Robbie as Barbie in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Barbie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Jaap Buitendijk. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.

In other news, the studio offered the first look at Margot Robbie as the title character in ‘Barbie’. The movie based on the iconic doll range has been shooting in London for a while now, with Greta Gerwig directing.

‘Barbie’ boasts an eclectic cast that also includes Ryan Gosling (as Barbie’s famous plastic paramour, Ken), Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, America Ferrera, Simu Liu, Hari Nef and Will Ferrell. Gerwig wrote the script with Noah Baumbach.

No concrete details have been revealed for what the movie might include, though there has been chatter that it sees Barbie ejected from her world for not being perfect enough.

From the looks of this, though, the trademark pink of Barbie’s world is present and correct. ‘Barbie’ will be in theaters on July 21st, 2023.
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That’s a change for WB, as ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’, in which the beleaguered cartoon character sues the company who makes his misfiring weapons, had been sitting on that date. The movie, which features John Cena, Will Forte and Lana Condor, is currently in production and doesn’t now have a release date.

Austin Butler from ‘Elvis’ at CinemaCon 2022. Photos By Eric Charbonneau.

Showing up in person to show off their latest wares was Baz Luhrmann, who has ‘Elvis’ headed our way this summer. Luhrmann brought some new footage from the movie, which stars Austin Butler as the iconic rock ‘n’ roller and Tom Hanks as his controversial manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

Ever the consummate showman, Luhrmann had the crowd laughing with his presentation style. “You know, I haven’t actually finished it,” he confessed to the assembled theater owners. “If it feels a little like a superhero film, it is. Elvis is kind of the original superhero. He rises so high, then finds his kryptonite and falls so low and then a beautiful, powerful tragedy ensues. Man can’t live by Batman alone; we need to bring all audiences in the theater!” (He also praised Matt Reeves and ‘The Batman’, so this was only comedy shade).

Luhrmann also joked about Hanks, and how he was “new” to the whole acting thing. “He’s a bit nervy and stuff, I had to coach him a lot to get him out of his shell,” the director quipped. Then he got serious: “I have worked with everyone, all sorts of icons and my god, Tom Hanks — the Rolls Royce of actors.”

‘Elvis’ rocks into theaters on June 24.
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Music was also the focus of the presentation about ‘Wonka’, the ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ prequel that stars Timothée Chalamet as the candy man. ‘Paddington’ director Paul King is handling this one, a tune-filled story of Wonka facing down the authorities to bring his love of chocolate to the world. The footage played to enthusiastic audiences, but there will be a wait for this one – it isn’t scheduled for release until December 15th, 2023.
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‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ director James Wan at CinemaCon 2022. Photos by Eric Charbonneau.

James Wan was on hand to promote two movies – firstly, ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’. Following a video greeting from Jason Momoa (currently at work in London on, we presume ‘Fast X’), Wan showed up with a quick blast of footage and praise for the advancing special effects that let him create complicated characters without “torturing” his actors on wires.

The superhero sequel, which sees the return of Momoa, Amber Heard and Patrick Wilson, among others, will swim into theaters on March 17 next year.
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Second on Wan’s list was ‘Salem’s Lot’, the Stephen King adaptation he’s producing, and which ‘Annabelle Comes Home’s Gary Dauberman is directing.

‘Lot’s story follows Ben Mears, a writer who spent part of his childhood in Jerusalem’s Lot, Maine, also known as Salem’s Lot, has returned after twenty-five years to write a book about the long-abandoned Marsten House, where he had a bad experience as a child. He soon discovers that an ancient evil has also come to town and is turning the residents into vampires. He vows to stop the plague of undead and save the town.

‘Salem’s Lot’ will arrive on September 9th this year.
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(L to R) Asher Angel, Helen Mirren, Jack Dylan Grazer and Zachary Levi from ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ at CinemaCon 2022. Photos by Eric Charbonneau.

Zachary Levi and some of the cast of ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ (including the living legend that is Helen Mirren) turned up to talk up their own superhero sequel, with Mirren admitting that she enjoyed joining the “most wonderful crazy family” and that she wasn’t sure how much she could say about the movie.

The clip shown from the film included some typically meta references to the DC universe (including a dream about ‘Wonder Woman‘) and Mirren, alongside fellow villain Lucy Liu, doing their thing.

‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ has bounced around the release schedule but will finally see theaters on December 16th – which slightly worryingly is the same day that the much-anticipated ‘Avatar 2’ is set to land.
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Olivia Wilde was at the event to hype her new movie, ‘Don’t Worry Darling’, starring Harry Styles and Florence Pugh. The movie, a psychological thriller also starring Wilde, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne and Nick Kroll, asks a compelling question: “What would it take for you to give up your life, to do what is right?”

Wilde had the trailer to show and enthused about her stars. “You are seeing the birth of a full-fledged movie star,” she said in regard to Pugh, and called Styles “a revelation.” She then joked, “I am also in the movie because I was the only one we could afford when we go that that point.”

‘Don’t Worry Darling’ is due in theaters on September 23rd.

(L-r) Harry Styles as Jack and Florence Pugh as Alice in New Line Cinema’s ‘Don’t Worry Darling,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
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Rounding things off was one of WB’s biggest stars, who had two movies to show off. Dwayne Johnson, ever the charismatic superstar, kicked off his presentation with a fake-out that he was stuck in Hawaii and appearing via video.

Instead, he was in the room, walking through the crowd to applause and talking up both the animated family adventure ‘DC League of Super Pets’.

The cartoon movie, which sees Superman’s faithful hound Krypto (voiced by Johnson) teaming up with other animals to save his master and the Justice League when they’re kidnapped. It soars into theaters on July 29th.
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But most of Johnson’s attention was reserved for his own superhero outing, ‘Black Adam’, which puts a character more known in ‘Shazam’ comics as a villain front and center in a story that focuses on his antihero side.

Yet as the footage showed, the vengeful, righteous character – a slave from an ancient world who is revived and gifted mighty powers in the modern day.
Responding to a character who says, “heroes don’t kill people,” Johnson’s character declares, “Well I do.”

‘Black Adam’s Dwayne Johnson at CinemaCon 2022. Photos by Eric Charbonneau.

‘Black Adam’ will arrive in theaters on October 21st.
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April 27, 2022
Austin Butler in Talks for ‘Dune’ Sequel

Austin Butler in ‘The Shannara Chronicles.’

With production penciled in for later this year, it’s clear that ‘Dune’ director Denis Villeneuve is busy building the additional cast he needs for ‘Part Two’.

On Tuesday, we learned that ‘Black Widow’s Florence Pugh had entered talks to play Princess Irulan, daughter of the ‘Dune’ universe’s emperor. Today brings word that Austin Butler is in negotiation to be Feyd-Rautha.

If the character’s name has you scratching your head, especially since he didn’t appear in the first ‘Dune’ movie, fear not.

Created by author Frank Herbert for the original ‘Dune’ novel, Feyd-Rautha is the younger nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen of House Harkonnen (played in the first movie by Stellan Skarsgard). He’s nominated by the Baron as the “Na-Baron” – heir to House Harkonnen.

The Baron favors the young Feyd-Rautha over Feyd’s older brother “The Beast” Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista in the movie). Feyd is both intelligent and charismatic and is dedicated to the Harkonnen culture of sadism and cruelty, though potentially only due to his upbringing.

Though Villeneuve and co-writer Jon Spaihts had considered including the character in the first movie, they’ve deemed it more useful to shift him to the second, since he’ll be a big part of causing more trouble for Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet, who will return for the new movie).

Sting in ‘Dune’ (1984)

Like Paul, Feyd was also part of the complex, politically savvy genetic breeding program run by the mysterious Bene Gesserit order of powerful women.
We’re sure the Beast won’t be too happy with the younger whippersnapper coming in.

And if you are aware of him, it’s likely you’re either a big fan of the book, or you recall Sting’s leather/rubber getup from when he played the part in David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation.

We can’t speak to whether there will be more oiled up action going on here, but Villeneuve’s take on the Harkonnen hasn’t shied away from either rubber costumes or characters submerged in liquid. So, you never know!

‘Dune: Part Two’ continues the story of Paul and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) as they regroup from the devastating attack on the Atreides base on Arrakis (the planet also known as Dune) by Harkonnen and Imperial forces.

Fleeing into the harsh Arrakis desert along with the native Fremen (including leader Stilgar, played by Javier Bardem) and warrior Chani (Zendaya), they’ll survive while plotting a reprisal, as Paul becomes a spiritual and military leader among the Fremen.

Skarsgard and Josh Brolin (as Atreides weapons master Gurney Halleck) are both expected to return alongside their fellow first movie cast mates.

Austin Butler as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis.’ Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.

This would mark the latest big role for Butler, who had been acting for a few years before broke out in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’. He’s since scored the prime lead part of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’, which will cover large chunks of the musical icons career, the political figure with which he came into contact and his complicated relationship with manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).

‘Elvis’ will be in theaters on June 24. ‘Dune: Part Two’ is currently set for release on October 20 next year.
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March 10, 2022
Trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’

Austin Butler as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis.’ Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.

It’s been nine years since writer/director Baz Lurhmann had a film in theaters. Not to say he’s been sitting around doing nothing; he oversaw Netflix series ‘The Get Down’ and worked on several commercials. It’s good to see, though, that he’s headed back to the big screen with ‘Elvis’, which has its first full trailer out in the world.

As you might predict from the title, the film charts the life of the musical icon, who burst on to the scene in the 1950s and became one of the most famous people in the world.

Austin Butler, who has appeared in movies such as ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’, here plays Elvis Presley, and the film explores his life and music seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom 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. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).

And the main trio are just a sampling of the cast – ‘Elvis’ also includes Helen Thomson as Elvis’s mother, Gladys, Richard Roxburgh as Elvis’s father, Luke Bracey as Jerry Schilling, Natasha Bassett as Dixie Locke, David Wenham playing Hank Snow, Kelvin Harrison Jr. bringing to life B.B. King, Xavier Samuel as Scotty Moore, and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Jimmie Rodgers Snow.
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Elvis is not the only iconic musician to show up here, either, as in his life and career, he crossed paths with a swathe of others. Singer/songwriter Yola plays Sister Rosetta Tharpe, model Alton Mason takes on the role of Little Richard, while Gary Clark Jr. is Arthur Crudup, and artist Shonka Dukureh plays Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton. Luhrmann wrote the movie with Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner.

Elvis Presley is a tricky subject to bring to life; he’s one of the most recognizable people in the world, even to an audience that didn’t grow up listening to his music, and his story has a tragic ending. There are also all the political and world-changing events to encompass while finding a way into the complex relationship between Parker and his star client. Of course, it helps to have Tom Hanks in the cast, and he’s throwing his all into the role.

Luhrmann’s film has taken longer than anticipated to arrive, partly because of the huge undertaking, but also because it was one of the movies seriously affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, forced to shut down when Hanks and others contracted the virus.

It’ll finally head to theaters on June 24.

If you want to know more about the movie, Luhrmann and his leading man participated in a video Q&A on twitter to help launch the trailer, and you can find that below.

you’re about to spend all day watching this.

this is the exclusive worldwide trailer debut for #ElvisMovie PLUS a Q&A with @austinbutler and @bazluhrmann pic.twitter.com/4JjzdwnmkA

— Movies (@Movies) February 17, 2022

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February 17, 2022