Baz Luhrmann on Elvis, His 4-Hour Cut, and If Fans Will Ever See It

With Elvis now playing in theaters around the world, I recently got to speak with writer-director Baz Luhrmann about making the biopic. As you’ve seen in the trailers, Elvis is about the complicated relationship between Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) and Elvis Presley (Austin Butler). The film tells Elvis’ story from Parker’s point of view, and it spans over two decades and includes Presley’s rise to fame against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America.

During the interview, Luhrmann talked about how he works in the editing room, his four-hour version, if he’ll ever release an Elvis extended cut, why he made the movie for people to see in a movie theater, and more. In addition, he talks about what it was like to go to Graceland after premiering the movie in Memphis and eat barbeque with the Presley family.

As I have said many times, Austin Butler is superb in the role and actually sings Presley’s early songs in the film. His performance alone is reason to see the film. Elvis also stars Helen Thomson as Elvis’s mother, Gladys, Richard Roxburgh as Elvis’s father, Vernon, Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla Presley, Luke Bracey as Jerry Schilling, Natasha Bassett as Dixie Locke, David Wenham as Hank Snow, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as B.B. King, Xavier Samuel as Scotty Moore, and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Jimmie Rodgers Snow. To play additional iconic musical artists in the film, Luhrmann cast singer/songwriter Yola as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, model Alton Mason as Little Richard, Gary Clark Jr. as Arthur Crudup, and artist Shonka Dukureh as Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton.

#Elvis #BazLuhrmann #elvispresley

For interviews, movie reviews, and more visit https://collider.com

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
  / collider  
  / collider  
  / collider