Austin Butler (Zoey 101) has been cast to play Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic on the iconic singer. However, it’s to the dismay of One Direction fans as it was rumoured that Harry Styles was auditioning for the role of the King himself. Alongside Styles, others that were reportedly auditioning for the role were Miles Teller (Divergent) and Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver).
Austin released the news online to the world beside the lyrics of Elvis’ song ‘Love Me Tender’ – ‘you have made my life complete, and I love you so. ‘ The young actor is relatively unknown aside from smaller parts and his relationship with Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical) so this will be an incredible boost in his career. Along with this role, he is also due to appear in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time In Hollywood playing alongside big names such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie.
Baz Luhrrman said of the casting that via “a journey of extensive screen testing and music and performance workshops, I knew unequivocally that I had found someone who could embody the spirit of one of the world’s most iconic musical figures”.
The film hasn’t been titled as of yet but production is due to begin in the first part of 2020. Other factors that we know about the biopic is that Tom Hanks has been cast to play Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley’s manager. With the success of recent biopics such as Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody, it’s no surprise that Baz has cashed in – and we’re sure with his talent, he’ll make something that Elvis would have been proud of.
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