The long, drawn-out search for Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley is over. And honestly, it wasn’t that long or drawn-out, and it ended with a choice that was predicted a short while ago. But hey, we now know exactly who is going to act opposite Tom Hanks in the upcoming biopic.
According to Deadline, actor Austin Butler has landed the coveted role as the King of Rock in a biopic that takes a look at the era of Elvis where he’s being managed by Colonel Tom Parker, played by Hanks. The film gained a lot of traction, quickly, after the recent success of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” With iconic musicians getting biopics left and right, capitalizing on the musical catalog to help drive ticket sales, why not get perhaps the most iconic rock star of all time on the big screen, as soon as possible?
READ MORE: Tom Hanks In Talks To Star As Colonel Tom Parker In Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley Biopic
And apparently, that’s exactly what Baz Luhrmann plans on doing.
Butler is a relatively unknown actor, who was previously reported as competing against the likes of Ansel Elgort and Miles Teller for the role of Elvis. Before this film, Butler was probably best known for his work in various Disney/Nickelodeon projects as a kid actor and TV series like “The Carrie Diaries” and “The Shannara Chronicles” most recently.
However, the future is looking very bright for the young actor. Not only is he now slated to appear as Elvis in a major motion picture, but before that happens, his 2019 features roles in the recent “The Dead Don’t Die” and the upcoming “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” where he plays Charles “Tex” Watson.
There’s no official release date yet for the upcoming Warner Bros. film, but production is said to begin in early 2020 in Australia.