Baz Luhrmann's a filmmaker that's always been heavily associated with music. He's only made one out-and-out musical, Moulin Rogue, but all of his pictures pivot on pop songs of every era, energizing his visuals with the propulsive thrust of the 20th and 21st century's hottest beats. But what happens when you pair Baz Luhrmann with the King Of Rock And Roll himself, Elvis Presley?
The Wrap reports that Warner Bros. is looking to make the definitive movie about The King, and Baz Luhrmann is in negotiations to direct. Warner Bros. has secured rights to the entire Presley music library, so this won't be one of those Elvis movies where he only sings An American Trilogy because the producers couldn't afford Jailhouse Rock.
There hasn't really been a definitive take on the Elvis mythos, unfortunate but not unpredictable given the prohibitive cost of his music. But how would you make an Elvis movie anyway? Where do you start? The pop hits? The sexy early career? The pot-bellied later years? The 31 movies that he starred in, blurring the lines between musician and movie star? His military service? Presley received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys at 36 and was dead by 42, and lived as full a life as one could. It's not yet known what period of Elvis' life will be illustrated by the film, though the production is working with entirely original material and not utilizing any previous source material.
Elvis, as it's very likely to be called (alternate bet: Jailhouse Rock: The Rise Of Elvis!) is currently being written by Kelly Marcel, who reached the Black List with last year's Saving Mr. Banks. She's turned enough heads in Hollywood to land the lauded gig of turning the chicken scratch prose of 50 Shades Of Grey into a legible screenplay. She also had a hand in creating Fox's now-cancelled Terra Nova, though this is unquestionably her biggest gig yet.
Luhrmann was recently attached to a Kung Fu movie, but there's a very good chance he'll abandon that for the ultimate music movie. Can you imagine Luhrmann's style and bravado seen through the prism of Love Me Tender? A thrilling crane shot set to (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear? The explosion of color that would greet It's Now Or Never? There's rarely been quite a match of filmmaker and material quite like this, which has the chance to make Behind The Candelabra look like a Paranormal Activity sequel. For comparison's sake, catch a trailer below to the last "definitive" Elvis movie: the TV movie Elvis directed by John Carpenter (yeah) and starring Kurt Russell (uh-huh!).
