Austin Butler Cast As Elvis Presley In Baz Luhrmann's Upcoming Biopic

Austin Butler as Elvis Presley

Once Upon a Time In Hollywood actor Austin Butler will play Elvis Presley in an upcoming biopic about his life.

He'll star alongside Tom Hanks in the Baz Luhrmann production.

 

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A post shared by Austin Butler (@austinbutler) on Jul 15, 2019 at 12:00pm PDT

Luhrmann will explore the life and music of Presley, through the prism of his complicated relationship with his manager.

Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks will play the icon's manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

 

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The story will follow the star from his rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom.

In a statement, Luhrmann says, 'I knew I couldn’t make this film if the casting wasn’t absolutely right...'

'We searched thoroughly for an actor with the ability to evoke the singular natural movement and vocal qualities of this peerless star.'

 

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He goes on, 'Throughout the casting process, it was an honor for me to encounter such a vast array of talent.'

'I had heard about Austin Butler from his stand-out role opposite Denzel Washington in The Iceman Cometh on Broadway...'

'And through 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.'

 

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Austin Butler

The actor is set to appear opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. 

He also stars alongside Bill Murray and Adam Driver in this year's horror comedy, The Dead Don’t Die.

Austin also starred in the 2009 20th Century Fox production of Aliens In The Attic.

The movie follows a family who find an invading force of tiny aliens on a mission to conquer Earth.

If you're a fan of High School Musical then you'll definitely know Austin's girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens.

The pair met in 2005 but didn't start dating until 2011 and they've been inseparable ever since.

 

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Filming is set to begin early next year with a release date yet to be announced.