After a long search, Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley movie has crowned Austin Butler as its King.
Luhrmann, who is directing and co-writing the biopic, shared the news on social media by tweeting Presley’s infamous mugshot next to a red carpet photo of Butler.
“I had heard about Austin Butler from his stand-out role opposite Denzel Washington in ‘The Iceman Cometh’ on Broadway,” Luhrmann said in a statement provided to Variety, which also reported that several actors were tested in full makeup and hair (i.e.: Presley’s infamous pompadour hair). These names reportedly included Harry Styles, Ansel Elgort, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Miles Teller.
It was previously announced that Tom Hanks would play the hip-shaking rock icon’s notoriously controlling manager, Col. Tom Parker.
The Warner Bros. film is said to concentrate on this complicated relationship and will be split into two parts, the first concentrating on Presley’s early success and then his life after 35. (CNN and Warner Bros. are both part of parent company, WarnerMedia.)
Luhrmann’s co-writer is Craig Pearce, with whom he also collaborated on 2013’s “The Great Gatsby,” 2001’s “Moulin Rouge!” and more.
Butler can soon be seeing playing another notorious figure in history: Manson family member Charles Denton “Tex” Watson in Quentin Tarantino’s new film, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”
