Austin Butler ready to rock in Blue Suede Shoes
Director, Baz Luhrmann, has finally found his Elvis after a long ‘shook up’ search.
Entrusting emerging actor Austin Butler with the role, the up and comer has beaten the likes of Harry Styles, Miles Teller and Ansel Elgort to the prize.
The untitled drama, which will be shot in Queensland early next year, traces Presley’s rise in fame – from a struggling start-out singer to a global phenomenon. Detailing his life, music and the celebrity’s cultural landscape, the film will also look at the complex relationship Presley had with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, for over 20-years.
The production is set to boost employment in the region and is an epic win for our State. In a statement issued over social media, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the news is great for Queensland.
“This production is set to employ over 900 Queenslanders in the screen industry, from film crew to carpenters and caterers, injecting over $105 million into the Queensland economy,’ wrote Palaszczuk.
While Butler is still relatively unknown, it appears the actor is at the start of an illustrious career. His early teens were spent in small roles on the Nickelodeon and Disney Channel shows, before appearing in the Jim Jarmusch’s zombie-comedy flick ‘The Dead Don’t Die’.
Later this month, he’ll star alongside acting heavyweights Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and home-grown Queenslander Margot Robbie in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon A Time in Hollywood’. Butler also made his Broadway debut last year opposite Denzel Washington in ‘The Iceman Cometh’.
Luhrmann described the casting process as an “extensive screening testing and music and performance workshops”. Despite a vast array of talent auditioning for the role, it was Butler’s appearance on Broadway that caught the director’s eye and Luhrmann knew the actor could “embody the spirit of one of the world’s most iconic musical figures”.
Luhrmann co-wrote the Presley screenplay with fellow creative, Craig Pearce. The duo has also collaborated on popular scripts including ‘Strictly Ballroom’, ‘Romeo + Juliet’, ‘Moulin Rouge’ and ‘The Great Gatsby’.
While production details and a name for the movie are still yet to be announced, we can’t help but fall in love with this latest news. Long live the King!
