Filmmaker Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic has found its king of rock and roll in actor Austin Butler.
The 27-year-old star has been cast as the cultural icon in the Romeo + Juliet director’s as-yet untitled film, after a particularly competitive process, with Deadline reporting Austin beat out Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller and Harry Styles for the role.
The biopic, with a script by Craig Pearce, will reportedly chronicle Elvis’ rise to superstardom “against an evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America,” according to Deadline.
It will also explore the singer’s relationship with legendary and controversial manager Col. Tom Parker, who is set to be played by Tom Hanks, with production set to begin early next year in Queensland, Australia.
In a statement about Austin’s casting, Baz Luhrmann said he took great pains to find the right actor to fill Elvis’ shoes.
“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,” he said.
“Throughout the casting process, it was an honor for me to encounter such a vast array of talent,” he continued, adding that he was particularly impressed by Butler’s performance in the recent Broadway revival of Eugene O’Neill’s classic The Iceman Cometh.
“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,” Baz said.
Austin, who bounced around various Nickelodeon and Disney Channel series early in his career, landed his breakout role in the Sex and the City prequel series, The Carrie Diaries, playing the lead character’s love interest.
The actor, who’s been dating actress Vanessa Hudgens for nearly a decade, has since appeared in series like Arrow and The Shannara Chronicles and can next be seen in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
