Harry Styles, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Aaron Taylor-Johnson on Shortlist for Elvis Biopic

The biopic is helmed by 'Moulin Rouge!' director Baz Luhrmann and already stars Tom Hanks as Col. Tom Parker.

elvis
Getty

Image via Getty/Terence Patrick/CBS

elvis

Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley biopic, which has already secured Tom Hanks in the role of controversial manager Colonel Tom Parker, is now eyeing someone worthy of the title role. Per a new report on the casting developments, a decision from the Moulin Rouge! director's team is expected as soon as next week.

Among those Deadlinesays have tested for the part are Harry Styles, Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, and Austin Butler. A separate report from The Hollywood Reporter adds Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the Kick-Ass star who was last seen in A Million Little Pieces, into the mix.

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Those vying for the part were test-filmed last weekend for the film, which is said to take a deep-dive into the relationship between Parker and a young Presley, particularly how that relationship initially helped but ultimately hurt his career. 

The Luhrmann/Craig Pearce-penned biopic, which currently has no announced title or projected release date, follows Luhrmann's work on the 2016 Netflix series The Get Down and the 2013 update of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Luhrmann's legacy also includes quite a coup for the sunscreen encouragement sector of pop music, all thanks to this:

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Preliminary Twitter surveying shows quite a bit of support for Harry Styles and Miles Teller in the role of Elvis, while some have suggested heading back to the drawing board for an actor who's totally unknown.

Styles, of course, earned praise for his turn in Christophyer Nolan's understated 2017 war piece Dunkirk. The former One Direction member's second solo album is expected relatively soon.

Latest in Pop Culture