The first trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert film has just dropped – check it out here.
The film, which is set for release next year, features long-lost footage of the legendary singer’s Las Vegas residency alongside 16mm footage from the 1972 film Elvis on Tour and 8mm film from the Graceland archive.
The trailer begins with Richard Strauss’ ‘Also sprach Zarathustra’ and footage of Presley twirling his ring and tapping his foot before a show, before it reads, “In 1969, Elvis returned to the stage to begin a legendary residency in Las Vegas,” interspersed with video. “For 40 years, there have been rumours of lost footage … It was found.”
Presley then says, “There’s been a lot written and a lot said, but never from my side of the story,” before he sings ‘The Battle Hymn Of The Republic’ over old concert footage. Watch the whole trailer here:
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and will have its first advanced screenings at Graceland, Presley’s former home, on January 8 – which would be his 91st birthday.
It’ll then be exclusively released in IMAX theatres from February 20 before general release on February 27.
Luhrmann first sought out unseen footage from Elvis On Tour and Elvis: That’s The Way It Is with a view to using it in his 2022 biopic Elvis. 68 boxes of 35mm and 8mm footage were found in the Warner Bros. film archives in salt mines in Kansas, including unheard interviews, Presley’s iconic 1957 performance in his gold jacket in Hawaii, and outtakes from both films.
As the footage didn’t have any sound, Luhrmann’s team restored and synced it to existing audio sources. During the process, they also found a 45-minute audio recording of Presley talking about his life story.
Discussing the film in January, Luhrmann told Deadline, “ I wouldn’t call it a documentary, or a concert film; our aim here is to make something new in the Elvis canon … to bring something to the screen that befits the magnitude of Elvis as a performer but also offers deeper revelations of his humanity and inner life.”
Luhrmann’s 2022 movie explored the life of Presley, played by Austin Butler, with Tom Hanks playing his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
It became a critical and commercial success, grossing over $288million worldwide and being named one of the best films of the year by the American Film Institute and receiving eight Oscar nominations. In 2023, Luhrmann confirmed plans for a stage adaptation.
NME gave Elvis a four-star review, calling the movie “a big-screen epic we can’t help falling in love with” and summarising: “The overwhelming feeling is of sadness, but strangely admiration too. Even at his lowest, Elvis’ commitment to putting on a show for his fans was total. If only Parker had been as loyal, he might still be on stage now.”