Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman already made history, but the biopic craze is far from over. Alongside remakes and reboots of classic franchises, Hollywood is betting heavily on the success of films about the lives of music legends, and there are already several new projects in the works—including one about Boy George and yet another one about the primordial rockstar, Elvis Presley.
If you were to choose any musical figure to do a biopic, the legendary singer is a clear choice. And when it’s Baz Luhrmann at the helm of the project, you know it’s gonna be worth a watch. The film’s production is yet to begin, though, so we’re a long way from it on the big screen. But reports are already giving us hints about what we might expect, especially regarding the most crucial question at this point: who’ll get to play Elvis Presley himself?
The candidates
Five young actors are reportedly in the race for the role:
1) Ansel Elgort, known for The Fault in Our Stars and Baby Driver, where he starred alongside disgraced actor Kevin Spacey. Elgort is currently filming Steven Spielberg’s upcoming remake of the beloved classical, West Side Story.
2) Miles Teller, best known for his stellar performance in Damien Chazelle’s masterful drama, Whiplash. Teller is also starring in the upcoming Top Gun: Maverick, which will be released next year, and almost landed the lead role in La La Land.
3) Aaron Taylor-Johnson, famous for his roles in Kick-Ass, Godzilla, and Avengers: Age of Ultron.
4) Austin Butler, who appeared on The Shannara Chronicles and got a breakthrough role in Quentin Tarantino’s next film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
5) And, finally, Harry Styles, the singer-turned-actor who made his Hollywood debut in Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed war epic, Dunkirk. The former One Direction lead singer did a pretty good job on that film, so even facing such tough competition, we expect he stands a good chance. But only time (and Luhrmann) can tell who’ll end up with the coveted role, though.
What we know so far
Uncertain as the casting of the film yet is, there’s one actor already on board: Tom Hanks, who’ll play Presley’s legendary manager, Colonel Tom Parker. The plot covers the relationship between Parker and Presley as the latter ascends to unprecedented heights in music history, dealing with Parker’s expert guidance and overbearing nature (as he got involved in every aspect of the singer’s life and reportedly took half of Presley’s earnings for himself).
Luhrmann, who wrote the script with Craig Pearce (The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge!), filmed the candidates’ auditions last weekend, and is expected to make a decision in the following weeks, so stay tuned for updates.
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