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Baz Luhrmann Casts His Elvis For New Biopic

Austin Butler gets the role.

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Miles Teller, Harry Styles, Ansel Elgort, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Austin Butler tried out for the role of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming biopic, and now the Oscar nominated director has chosen his star.

Butler will play The King.

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Butler will appear alongside Tom Hanks in the film. Hanks plays Presley's longtime manager, Col. Tom Parker. Butler might not be a household name, but he's on the rise.

The 27-year-old American actor appeared in a number of Disney Channel shows, before a big role in the 2018 Broadway show The Iceman Cometh opposite Denzel Washington. His next role is in the Quentin Tarantino movie Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.

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Luhrmann earned the Best Picture Oscar nomination for 2001's Moulin Rouge. He also directed the movies Romeo + Juliet, Australia, and The Great Gatsby, all of which were critically acclaimed.

In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, Luhrmann said, "I knew I couldn't make this film if the casting wasn't absolutely right, and we searched thoroughly for an actor with the ability to evoke the singular natural movement and vocal qualities of this peerless star, but also the inner vulnerability of the artist."

Luhrmann said he learned about Butler from his role on The Iceman Cometh, and he got to know him better of "extensive screen-testing and music and performance workshops."

"I knew unequivocally that I had found someone who could embody the spirit of one of the world's most iconic musical figures," Luhrmann said.

Filming on the untitled Elvis biopic is scheduled to begin in 2020 in Queensland, Australia.

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