Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Biopic Finds Its King of Rock and Roll

Austin Butler at the premiere of Focus Features
Austin Butler at the premiere of Focus Features "The Dead Don't Die" in 2019. Photo by Marion Curtis/StarPix for Focus Features/Shutterstock (10300357cp)

Harry Styles and Ansel Elgort were amongst the actors in the running for the role of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming Elvis biopic, but the famous director eventually found his king of rock and roll in Austin Butler.

Unlike other actors in the running, Butler was relatively unknown before landing this role. He played supporting roles on TV shows Switched at Birth, Ruby & The Rockits and The Carrie Diaries, and caught Luhrmann’s eye with his Broadway debut in 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,” said the Australian director in a statement announcing Butler’s casting.

Baz Luhrmann won’t be the first renowned filmmaker that Butler had a chance to work with. 2019 has been a pretty amazing year for the young actor, who also landed supporting roles in Jim Jarmusch’s horror-comedy The Dead Don’t Die and Quentin Tarantino’s latest film Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.