Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley Biopic Reportedly Test Screens

Baz Luhrmann has proven to be a hugely successful if wildly polarizing filmmaker, with his work regularly being lauded for its jaw-dropping visuals and lavish production design, while being heavily criticized for paper-thin narratives and favoring style over substance.

The Academy Award nominee hasn’t helmed a movie since 2013’s The Great Gatsby, which fit his reputation to a tee by earning $353 million at the box office and winning two Oscars for Costume Design and Production Design, despite ending up with a lukewarm Rotten Tomatoes score of 48%.

The Moulin Rouge! director’s next effort is a biopic of Elvis Presley, with Austin Butler in the lead role and Tom Hanks going bald to play Colonel Tom Parker, The King’s often controversial manager. Simply titled Elvis, the rock and roll story is being positioned as a summer success story looking at the June 2022 release date, but World of Reel is reporting that test screenings are already underway.

The reactions are subject to NDAs so details are scarce to say the least, but test screenings are always a good indicator that a trailer isn’t too far away. Venom: Let There Be Carnage‘s Kelly Marcel penned the script, and production wrapped earlier this year, so some footage could be making its debut before the end of 2021.