Over a year after his glimmering masterpiece Elvis hit the big screen, director Baz Luhrmann now wants to return to the King of Rock and Roll’s life story, but this time in TV show format.
In a conversation with CinemaBlend about his recent Hulu series Faraway Downs, which essentially is the director’s 2008 feature Australia divided into episodes, Luhrmann revealed he is now planning to do the same to Elvis, but it will differ from the movie. “I really would love to do the episodic version of Elvis. And I'll take a completely different storytelling style than I would if I'd done it for the cinema.” said the Moulin Rouge director.
Luhrmann’s 2022 epic starring Austin Butler as the hip-swinging singer was a big hit with critics and audiences alike, and earned eight Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor. So why after all of the success and accolades would Luhrmann want to turn the story into a different format?
“Now, okay, why would I be so stupid? Well, like when an iconic, popular musician does a song and they perform it in concert and they do, you know, let's say it's a dance cut, they do a heavy metal version. I think of the dexterity of music, and the ability to take the same piece and reinterpret and rediscover.” The Great Gatsby director explained. “It keeps the artist engaged. But it also keeps decoding and recoding the story, [and] keeps it alive in the moment. So that's why I would do it. And I think I would do it with Elvis.”
Thinking about Elvis’ life story as a musical ensemble is certainly fitting, as his life story can certainly be interpreted in many different ways. Luhrmann's movie focused on the star's rise to fame and his troubling relationship with shady manager Colonel Tom Parker, whereas Sofia Copolla’s 2023 movie Priscilla tells the Elvis tale from his wife’s perspective.
With the musician's illustrious career both on and off the stage, we are sure that Luhrmann’s Elvis only just scratched the surface, and there is so much more to tell about one of the most famous men to ever live. We for one cannot wait to see what Luhrmann does with it all next!
