EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert will be released in Aussie cinemas February 19!
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EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert – only in Cinemas February 19.
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This is a cautionary tale of adulation, addiction and excess with one casting that makes complete sense and one that doesn’t. Austin Butler is excellent as Presley and the camera loves him. Tom Hanks on the other hand seems an odd choice. It’s almost impossible to see him as a villain and the affectation he uses for the voice and the prosthetics used are off-putting. He looks like a sixties-era TV Batman baddie.

Butler is riveting as the younger Presley and the live musical numbers are very effective at conveying his youthful exuberance. Thankfully the bulk of the movie is set in his ascendancy and the few scenes used to describe the descent into drug addiction and erratic behaviour set the context without resorting to crass sensationalism. Presley really was something during the early part of his career.

One would hope that things are better today in regards to addressing chemical dependency and unending workloads in the music business. But then that might just be naive. It was however difficult to see a talent like his so ill-kept and squandered to keep the money train rolling along. Nothing says success like excess and Luhrmann masterfully present an ardent acknowledgment to a talent that still resonates today.

Rob Hudson
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ELVIS is an epic, big-screen spectacle from Warner Bros. Pictures and visionary, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Baz Luhrmann that explores the life and music of Elvis Presley, starring Austin Butler and Oscar winner Tom Hanks.

A thoroughly cinematic drama, Elvis’s (Butler) story is seen through the lens of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Hanks). As told by Parker, the film delves into the complex dynamic between the two spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).

Starring alongside Hanks and Butler, award-winning theatre actress Helen Thomson (“Top of the Lake: China Girl”, “Rake”) plays Elvis’s mother, Gladys, Richard Roxburgh (“Moulin Rouge!” “Breath”, “Hacksaw Ridge”) portrays Elvis’s father, Vernon, and DeJonge (“The Visit”, “Stray Dolls”) plays Priscilla. Luke Bracey (“Hacksaw Ridge”, “Point Break”) plays Jerry Schilling, Natasha Bassett (“Hail, Caesar!”) plays Dixie Locke, David Wenham (“The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, “Lion”, “300”) plays Hank Snow, Kelvin Harrison Jr. (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”, “The High Note”) plays B.B. King, Xavier Samuel (“Adore”, “Love & Friendship”, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”) plays Scotty Moore, and Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”) plays Jimmie Rodgers Snow.

Also in the cast, Dacre Montgomery (“Stranger Things”, “The Broken Heart Gallery”) plays TV director Steve Binder, alongside Australian actors Leon Ford (“Gallipoli”, “The Pacific”) as Tom Diskin, Kate Mulvany (“The Great Gatsby”, “Hunters”) as Marion Keisker, Gareth Davies (“Peter Rabbit”, “Hunters”) as Bones Howe, Charles Grounds (“Crazy Rich Asians”, “Camp”) as Billy Smith, Josh McConville (“Fantasy Island”) as Sam Phillips, and Adam Dunn (“Home and Away”) as Bill Black.

Elvis – will be released in Australian cinemas June 23!
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The film explores the life and music of Elvis Presley (Butler), seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Hanks). The story delves into the complex dynamic between Presley and Parker spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).

Starring alongside Hanks and Butler, award-winning theatre actress Helen Thomson (“Top of the Lake: China Girl”, “Rake”) plays Elvis’s mother, Gladys, Richard Roxburgh (“Moulin Rouge!” “Breath”, “Hacksaw Ridge”) portrays Elvis’s father, Vernon, and DeJonge (“The Visit”, “Stray Dolls”) plays Priscilla. Luke Bracey (“Hacksaw Ridge”, “Point Break”) plays Jerry Schilling, Natasha Bassett (“Hail, Caesar!”) plays Dixie Locke, David Wenham (“The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, “Lion”, “300”) plays Hank Snow, Kelvin Harrison Jr. (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”, “The High Note”) plays B.B. King, Xavier Samuel (“Adore”, “Love & Friendship”, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”) plays Scotty Moore, and Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”) plays Jimmie Rodgers Snow.

Also in the cast, Dacre Montgomery (“Stranger Things”, “The Broken Heart Gallery”) plays TV director Steve Binder, alongside Australian actors Leon Ford (“Gallipoli”, “The Pacific”) as Tom Diskin, Kate Mulvany (“The Great Gatsby”, “Hunters”) as Marion Keisker, Gareth Davies (“Peter Rabbit”, “Hunters”) as Bones Howe, Charles Grounds (“Crazy Rich Asians”, “Camp”) as Billy Smith, Josh McConville (“Fantasy Island”) as Sam Phillips, and Adam Dunn (“Home and Away”) as Bill Black.

To play additional iconic musical artists in the film, Luhrmann cast singer/songwriter Yola as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, model Alton Mason as Little Richard, Austin, Texas native Gary Clark Jr. as Arthur Crudup, and artist Shonka Dukureh as Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton.

Oscar nominee Luhrmann (“The Great Gatsby”, “Moulin Rouge!”) directed from a screenplay by Baz Luhrmann & Sam Bromell and Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce and Jeremy Doner, story by Baz Luhrmann and Jeremy Doner. The film’s producers are Luhrmann, Oscar winner Catherine Martin (“The Great Gatsby”, “Moulin Rouge!”), Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss. Courtenay Valenti and Kevin McCormick executive produced.

The director’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Mandy Walker (“Mulan”, “Australia”), Oscar-winning production designer and costume designer Catherine Martin (“The Great Gatsby”, “Moulin Rouge!”), production designer Karen Murphy (“A Star Is Born”), editors Matt Villa (“The Great Gatsby”, “Australia”) and Jonathan Redmond (“The Great Gatsby”), Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor Thomas Wood (“Mad Max: Fury Road”), music supervisor Anton Monsted (“Australia”, “Moulin Rouge!”) and composer Elliott Wheeler (“The Get Down”).

Principal photography on “Elvis” took place in Queensland, Australia with the support of the Queensland Government, Screen Queensland and the Australian Government’s Producer Offset program.

A Warner Bros. Pictures Presentation, A Bazmark Production, A Jackal Group Production, A Baz Luhrmann Film, “Elvis” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and released in Australian cinemas on June 23, 2022.
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In the movie, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Luhrmann (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”) will explore the life and music of Presley, through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker, played in the film by two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks (“Forrest Gump,” “Philadelphia”). The story will delve into their complex dynamic spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America.

Luhrmann stated, “I knew I couldn’t make this film if the casting wasn’t absolutely right, and we searched thoroughly for an actor with the ability to evoke the singular natural movement and vocal qualities of this peerless star, but also the inner vulnerability of the artist. Throughout the casting process, it was an honor for me to encounter such a vast array of talent. I had heard about Austin Butler from his stand-out role opposite Denzel Washington in The Iceman Cometh on Broadway, and through a journey of extensive screen testing and music and performance workshops, I knew unequivocally that I had found someone who could embody the spirit of one of the world’s most iconic musical figures.”

Butler made his Broadway debut in 2018 opposite Washington in Eugene O’Neill’s “The Iceman Cometh,” under the direction of George C. Wolfe, and received rave reviews for his work in the role of “lost boy” Don Parritt. He will be seen later this month opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Butler, who also has extensive television credits, can currently be seen on the big screen alongside Bill Murray and Adam Driver in Jim Jarmusch’s “The Dead Don’t Die.”

Luhrmann will direct from the current screenplay written by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce. Luhrmann will also produce, alongside multiple-Oscar winner Catherine Martin (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”), who will once again serve as production designer and costume designer on the film, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss. Andrew Mittman will executive produce.

Principal photography will begin early next year, with filming taking place in Queensland, Australia with the support of the Queensland Government, Screen Queensland and the Australian Government’s Producer Offset program. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and by Roadshow Films in Australia and New Zealand.
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