Austin Butler Set To Shake Rattle and Roll For Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley Biopic!

Baz Luhrmann has finally chosen his Ace of Spades. We knew from the beginning that Austin Butler could make an amazing Elvis Presley, and now he will in the upcoming Warner Bros. biopic!

The question of who should play the King of Rock was highly contested among five actors, including Butler, Harry Styles, and Miles Teller. After much thought and mulling, director and screenwriter Luhrmann has set Austin Butler to play the star-making Elvis role opposite Tom Hanks. The untitled biopic will portray the legend of how the King went from dirt poor to a global icon. Particularly, it will explore Presley’s complex relationship over two decades with manager Colonel Tom Parker, who will be played by Hanks.

Butler coming out on top was somewhat of a surprise, especially against big name celebrities such as Teller and Styles; however, when Luhrmann initially began his trek to find his King of Rock, he said he was looking for a lesser-known actor. So it makes sense. Luhrmann saw Butler as a talented actor who was ready for a major jump up. Butler can currently be seen on the big screen alongside Bill Murray and Adam Driver in Jim Jarmusch’s The Dead Don’t Die. And later this month, he will appear in theaters opposite of Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Things are certainly shaping up for the 27-year-old actor!

Luhrmann will direct from the current screenplay he wrote with Craig Pearce. He will also produce alongside Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick, Schuyler Weiss, and Catherine Martin, who was his collaborator on The Great Gatsby and Moulin Rouge. Andrew Mittman is set to executive produce. Filming will begin early next year in Queensland, Australia, with Warner Bros. Pictures distributing worldwide.

Congrats, Austin! Now we just need to convince Baz to cast Vanessa Hudgens as Priscilla...