Elvis, the movie, will have its world premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 25 and will be released in theaters in the United States on June 24.
It will be a huge summer hit, despite one possible flaw. Full-face singer Harry Styles was the early front runner to play Elvis but in the end lost out to thinner-faced actor Austin Butler.
There’s more to casting than appearance, and Butler does have the moves down, which is why he was chosen, but the lean face is a distraction, compared with the real Elvis.
Physiognomy aside, Butler does a convincing job in capturing the spectacular charisma and character of the greatest rock and roll and pop singer of all time.
Tom Hanks plays Elvis’s manager Colonel Tom Parker. The film is directed by Baz Luhrmann, whose previous movies include Shakespeare in Love, Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby.