Elvis Biopic Casts Its Lead Actor & It's Not G-Eazy
2019 has been the year of the biopic. After the tremendous success of Bohemian Rhapsody last year, directors around the world have been fighting to figure out who will hold the next Oscar contender. There have been biopics set in place about Elton John, The Beatles, and others this year and now, Baz Luhrmann has officially cast his Elvis Presley for an upcoming film.
Much has been said about who Luhrmann would pick for the role -- especially after so many people had thrown their names into the hat. Folks like Harry Styles, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, and others were all in the running and one rapper actually stood out as a possible choice: G-Eazy. If there's anybody that would embody Elvis' look in an accurate fashion, it's probably Young Gerald. For starters, they already look pretty similar with their heavily-gelled hair and fashion selections. Unfortunately for Eazy though, he was ultimately passed over for Vanessa Hudgens' boyfriend Austin Butler.
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The film's lead was announced today by Baz Luhrmann after the movie became a trending topic last week. The director searched extensively for an actor that could paint a perfect picture of Elvis and Butler ended up standing out. "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," said Luhrmann to The Hollywood Reporter. "Throughout the casting process, it was an honor for me to encounter such a vast array of talent. I had heard about Austin Butler from his stand-out role opposite Denzel Washington in The Iceman Cometh on Broadway, and 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."
Butler will portray Presley in the upcoming biopic, which is set to show over twenty years of the musician's career. Did Luhrmann make the right decision?