Baz Luhrmann Explains Why ‘Elvis’ Role Went To Austin Butler Instead Of Harry Styles

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticDoes the phrase “that’s all right” apply to the new “Elvis” movie… as in, “that’s all correct”? No one is probably expecting that — any practiced watcher of biopics knows virtually any example of the form will take deep liberties with the facts for dramatic purposes. And maybe it’s a given that a director who puts hip-hop and hard rock on the soundtracks for period films, as Baz Luhrmann does, might favor effect over absolute verisimilitude.Still, “Elvis” is right on enough counts — literally or spiritually — that it’s worth trying to separate fact from fiction in the movie’s narrative of Elvis Presley (played by Austin Butler) and his nearly career-long manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).

Paul McCartney on Thursday while promoting his Elvis movie on The Late Late Show with James Corden on CBS. The 30-year-old actor, who plays Elvis Presley in the new biographical musical Elvis directed by Baz Luhrmann, said he was in awe when he sat across from Paul, 80, for a more than two-hour train ride. 'Suddenly, I'm sitting on a trail across from Paul McCartney, the French countryside is going by and [Stella McCartney] plays the song that he listened to with Elvis,' Austin said.

Bohemian Rhapsody,” and Elton John, who got his own movie with “Rocketman,” Presley comes with more pop-culture baggage than you could stuff into a million Gracelands.There’s the campy Vegas impersonators, the “thank you, thank you very much” catchphrase, the white jumpsuit, the late-in-life weight gain and, of course, dying on the toilet at age 42. For such a singular figure in music — still instantly recognizable to teens today in a way that Bruce Springsteen and Paul Simon are not — he’s not allowed much dignity.Luhrmann’s hugely entertaining film and Butler’s sensational performance are dead set on righting that wrong. A movie that runs on jet fuel and confetti, “Elvis” is a tribute to Presley’s innovative spirit, deep passion for fusing blues, country and gospel music and the intense connection he had with his audience. Elvis taking inspiration from black musicians like B.B.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorDirector Baz Luhrmann  hoped “Elvis” would be much more than a biopic of Elvis Presley — he wanted to capture a time with a social history of this captivating figure that also told the story of America.Starring Austin Butler as Elvis and Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker, his manager, “Elvis” spans two decades. The backdrop is America’s Southern bible belt, the evolving cultural landscape, and the rock ‘n’ roller’s meteoric rise to stardom.Costume designer Catherine Martin explains there are two costume styles in the movie — “recreations of costumes that existed, and the other fictionalized outfits that are a synthesis of outfits that he actually had that help tell the story.” The pink suit rockabilly suit Butler sports was just one of 90 costumes he wore.

Elvis Presley.Baz Luhrmann — director of the upcoming biopic “Elvis” — recently revealed that he has a much longer cut of the musical drama.“I mean, I have a four-hour version, actually,” the Australian filmmaker, 59, told Radio Times.He also noted that there were a lot of extra scenes he wanted to include that would have helped complete the story of Elvis, portrayed by Austin Butler. However, there are serious time constraints. “You have to bring it down to 2 hours 30 [minutes],” he said.“I would have liked to lean into some of the other things more,” Luhrmann went on.

David Bowie, explaining how they almost worked on a project together in Berlin.The director, who worked with the late musician on the soundtrack for 2001’s Moulin Rouge!, told NME about how Bowie’s classic track ‘Changes’ impacted his life.“From the moment I first heard this song, I was a huge Bowie fan,” Luhrmann said. “I eventually worked with him [on the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack] and then towards the end of his life, he became a very good friend.“He used to come round and we’d walk the dogs.

Tom Hanks only understood the magnitude of what he took on when he saw Austin Butler in full Elvis Presley garbs.

Harry Styles in a new interview, saying the singer “embodies so much of Elvis”.The director’s biopic about the king of rock’n’roll will be released in cinemas in the UK on June 24 and is simply called Elvis.Speaking to The Times about the new movie – which stars Austin Butler in the titular role – Luhrmann observed that Elvis had “incredible style”. “Before people talked about [gender] fluidity, he had knitted bolero tank tops with his midriff hanging out, truck driver sideburns, make-up and dyed black hair,” he said. “He wore what would have been called, in the 19th century, dandy clothes.”When Styles was mentioned to him as the modern version of that, the filmmaker replied: “I know Harry well.

Harry Styles and Elvis Presley are both pop-culture sensations who crossed over to movies after wildly successful music careers. But for “Elvis” director Baz Luhrmann, their status as generational icons made Styles a poor choice to play The King in his new biopic.

Harry Styles will appear on the YouTube series The First Take.The pop star has recorded his session for the Japanese music series on YouTube, which arrives this Monday (June 13).The First Take challenges artists to perform whatever song they’d like to, but the caveat is that it has to be in one take with no vocal or visual effects.Previous performances have come from CHAI, Tomorrow X Together and many others.A short teaser of Styles’ attempt has been shared ahead of its airing – watch below.⠀ THE FIRST TAKE⠀ ⠀ ⠀ OUT AT MONDAY 6/13 9AM EST 6/13 6AM PST 6/13 2PM BST 6/13 10PM JST▶︎ https://t.co/xVntU2Qokq・#THEFIRSTTAKE pic.twitter.com/8g3AQ6Q5Ou— THE FIRST TAKE (@The_FirstTake) June 7, 2022Viewers on Eastern Standard Time in the US can watch the performance from 9am on Monday, while Pacific Standard Time viewers can catch it from 6am. UK viewers can watch it from 2pm while those in Japan can see it from 10pm.Meanwhile, Baz Luhrmann has explained why he didn’t cast Styles in his Elvis biopic.The director said in a new interview that the pop star “is a really talented actor” but wasn’t quite right for the role that eventually went to Austin Butler.

Harry Styles is known for his record-breaking success, and his impact has even reached ‘Elvis’ director Baz Luhrmann, who recently explained why he prefered not to cast the singer in the highly anticipated biopic starring Austin Butler as the legendary musician.The successful artist was excited to have the opportunity to get into the role of Elvis Presley, however the coveted role was desired by many other Hollywood stars, and ultimately went to Butler, partly because Denzel Washington mentored the actor onstage and convinced Luhrmann to give him the role.And when asked about his decision to cast Butler instead of Styles, the director revealed he would be thrilled to “work on something with him” but his worldwide success as a singer was the reason for him not to be included in the cast of the long awaited film, adding that Butler was “born to play” Elvis.“Harry is a really talented actor,” Luhrmann said during a recent interview in the ‘Fitzy & Wippa’ podcast on Monday, declaring that “the real issue with Harry is, he’s Harry Styles. He’s already an icon.”“Harry and I came to a place, genuinely I mean, he was just desperate to put the suit on and explore.

Did you know Harry Styles’s first-ever recorded song was apparently a cover of Elvis Presley’s version of “The Girl of My Best Friend?” The “Watermelon Sugar” singer grew up listening to The King as a kid, so naturally, he eventually became a frontrunner to play the legend for director Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming Elvis biopic. But alas, it was not meant to be. “Harry is a really talented actor.

Harry Styles wasn’t cast in his Elvis Presley biopic and, honestly, it makes total sense. The filmmaker reckons the Grammy Award winning musician is just too much of an ‘icon’ to play Presley, which is surely the nicest job rejection you could possibly get. As It Was hitmaker Styles went for the lead role in Luhrmann’s biopic of The King, but ultimately lost out to Austin Butler.

Harry Styles in his Elvis biopic.The director said in a new interview that the pop star “is a really talented actor” but wasn’t quite right for the role that eventually went to Austin Butler.“Harry is a really talented actor,” Luhrmann told Sydney’s Nova FM. “I would work on something with him… but the real issue with Harry is, he’s Harry Styles.

Baz Luhrmann is opening up about the main reason why Harry Styles wasn’t chosen to portray Elvis Presley in the upcoming Elvis movie.