You’d be forgiven for forgetting that Baz Luhrmann has an Elvis Presley biopic coming to theaters next year given how little we’ve heard about the project since production wrapped, even if the image of a bald-headed Tom Hanks is difficult to erase from your memory once you’ve seen it.
The Moulin Rogue! director’s latest lavish musical started shooting at the beginning of last year, but it’s since been hit with a number of delays. Simply titled Elvis, the movie was initially set for release in October 2020, but was soon pushed back a month, before being shunted all the way to June of 2022.
In fact, Elvis was recently shuffled three weeks along the calendar from June 3 to June 24, which coincided with the filmmaker sharing the first look at Austin Butler in the title role, as you can see below.
Elvis marks Luhrmann’s first film since 2013’s The Great Gatsby, which did big business at the box office but left critics feeling a little cold, even if it managed to win two Academy Awards for Costume Design and Production Design. Test screenings have reportedly already been held, but details on whether or not he’s onto a winner haven’t yet been divulged, although the enduring popularity of the protagonist and a transformative Tom Hanks performance should be enough to drum up plenty of interest.