Baz Luhrmann Says Heath Ledger & Jake Gyllenhaal Auditioned For ‘Moulin Rouge’

Elvis Presley was indisputably the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, but there’s no denying his bold sense of style goes down in history, too.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaBaz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” topped $100 million at the domestic box office on Friday, becoming one of the rare films without superheroes or dinosaurs to reach that mark. Globally, the Warner Bros. film has made over $170 million, an impressive result for this kind of material.To be fair, “Elvis” was expensive.

In a remarkable benchmark for an adult, female-skewing movie, especially with a 2 hour 39 minute running time, Warner Bros.’ Elvis has crossed the $100M mark at the domestic box office.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorIn recreating Elvis Presley’s famous ’68 Comeback Special, “Elvis” cinematographer Mandy Walker spent hours watching and examining old footage to faithfully reproduce certain shots and lighting changes for Baz Luhrmann’s biopic.Walker’s set replicating the Vegas showroom at the International Hilton, where Presley had his residency, is her proudest accomplishment from the film. “That set was gigantic.

three endings to the romance drama. “I originally set out to take the notion of the sweeping, ‘Gone With the Wind’-style epic and turn it on its head — a way of using romance and epic drama to shine a light on the roles of First Nations people and the painful scar in Australian history of the ‘Stolen Generations,‘” Luhrmann noted in a statement.“While ‘Australia,’ the film has its own life, there was another telling of this story; one with different layers, nuances and even alternative plot twists that an episodic format has allowed us to explore,” he said.“Drawn from the same material, ‘Faraway Downs’ is a new variation on ‘Australia’ for audiences to discover,” the “Great Gatsby” director added.“Australia” told the tale of an English aristocrat (Nicole Kidman) who inherits a cattle station called Faraway Downs following the death of her husband on the brink of World War II.She teams up with a cattle driver (Hugh Jackman) when Australian barons want to infiltrate her land and take over the territory.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Alanna Nash’s 2010 biography on Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley has become a No.

While out there promoting the hell out of his new film, “Elvis,” filmmaker Baz Luhrmann has made it no secret that he plans on re-editing his 2008 film, “Australia,” and turning it into a limited series. Well, now we finally have more details and it’s starting to sound like “Australia” is getting the full Snyder Cut treatment.

Fans who go see the new movie Elvis in theaters will probably be wondering if actor Austin Butler is doing his own singing in the film.

little too much sway over the King of Rock ‘n Roll. Sure, he helped elevate Presley in the public consciousness but also trapped him in a gilded cage.True to form Luhrmann gives the story an extreme stylistic overlay; songs bleed and warm into each other, remixed frenetically with modern artists and current sensibilities.

“Elvis”‘ opening of $30.5 million is on the top end of pre-weekend projections, with Warner Bros. reporting strong turnout from Elvis Presley’s home state of Tennessee with theaters in Arizona, Oklahoma and Texas joining the usual Los Angeles and New York theaters in the top 10 highest grossing locations for the film. In addition, “Elvis” has been successful in bringing older audiences back to theaters, as Warner Bros.

In the 2000s, the critical, financial, and Oscar success of Ridley Scott’s ancient Rome actioner “Gladiator” led to studios chasing the same highs. A string of high-budget period action films were greenlit in its wake such as Wolfgang Petersen’s Greek epic “Troy” (loosely based on the Iliad), Scott’s “Kingdom of Heaven,” and Oliver Stone’s ambitious but ultimately messy “Alexander.” Stone wasn’t the only established filmmaker that attempted to tell the story of the ancient Macedonian general and king, Alexander The Great.

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).

J. Kim Murphy It’s a 20th century showdown at the domestic box office this weekend, with the baby boomer epic “Elvis” contending against Gen X revamp “Top Gun: Maverick” for the top spot on domestic charts.Director Baz Luhrmann’s biopic about the King of Rock and Roll is projected to draw $30 million from 3,906 theaters in its opening.

Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” made $3.5 million in its preview screenings at the box office on Thursday from over 3,400 screens (inclusive of sneak previews on Tuesday), while “The Black Phone” also made $3 million in its own Thursday preview screenings from 2,800 theaters with showings beginning at 5 p.m. “Elvis,” the biopic about The King Elvis Presley from Warner Bros., is projected to earn in the $28-30 million range.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“Elvis,” Baz Luhrmann’s kaleidoscopic look at the “King of Rock,” grossed $3.5 million in Thursday previews, while “The Black Phone,” a child abduction chiller from Blumhouse,” scared up $3 million. The two films are hoping to make a mark at the box office this weekend, but they face stiff competition from holdovers such as “Jurassic World Dominion,” “Lightyear” and “Top Gun: Maverick.” It’s a wide open field as they elbow their way to the top of the chart.“Elvis,” a Warner Bros.

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.