We’re calling it: musicals are back.
Following the success of Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody, another epic music biopic is the works. Oscar-winning Baz Luhrmann is directing a film chronicling the life and hits of the original king of rock, Elvis Presley.
As per the Hollywood Reporter, Luhrmann is taking action to cast the film’s lead role, with Harry Styles, Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, Austin Butler and Aaron Taylor-Johnson having all auditioned for the role.
Undoubtedly, Styles leads the pack due to his professional music experience and vocal chops. Yet, the One Direction singer also boasts the least acting experience having only made his debut in Christopher Nolan’s 2017 film Dunkirk. “I was new to Harry. I mean, I’d heard his name from my kids, but I wasn’t really familiar with him,” Nolan told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “What I was seeing [when Styles auditioned] was a very charismatic guy who clearly had a truthfulness and a subtlety in his ability to perform as a film actor.”
Meanwhile, Elgort has triple-threat status. The actor, who also deejays under the name Ansolo, is already set to sing and dance as Tony in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming adaptation of West Side Story. And Teller, soon to fly alongside Tom Cruise in “Top Gun: Maverick,” has also dabbled in musical film.
When it comes to solely judge which actor bears the closest resemblance to a young Elvis, the clear winner is Austin Butler. Butler is about to be seen in a breakout turn in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time In Hollywood after playing in the cast of Jim Jarmusch’s The Dead Don’t Die.
Prior to reportedly testing the actors, Luhrmann sent out a public casting notice for the part, asking anyone interested in the role to send photos to [email protected].
Warner Bros. has also signed Tom Hanks to play Elvis’ manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Australian born director Baz Luhrmann previously directed The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge and Romeo and Juliet. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the director will be making his decision about his leading man in the coming weeks.
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