Baz Luhrmann charts Elvis Presley’s rise to stardom in trailer for biopic

Austin Butler says he is “ready to fly” as he takes on the role of Elvis Presley in the trailer for director Baz Luhrmann’s highly-anticipated biopic.

The three-minute teaser depicts the rock and roll musician as he goes from a young boy living in Memphis, Tennessee, and delivering his first performance, to an international star.

Tom Hanks plays his manager Colonel Tom Parker, with whom Presley had a tumultuous relationship, and is seen telling him: “I wish to promote you Mr Presley. Are you ready to fly?”

Viewers are also offered a glimpse of the singer’s Graceland mansion as well as the intense press attention he faced, set against the backdrop of political unrest in the US and the killings of Martin Luther King Jr and president John F Kennedy.

Butler is seen in character singing memorable hits including Jailhouse Rock, That’s All Right Mama and Unchained Melody to raucous audiences.

Presley died aged 42 in 1977 following one of the most influential careers in popular music.

Richard Roxburgh, Helen Thomson, David Wenham and Dacre Montgomery also star in the film.

Production took place in Luhrmann’s native Australia but was paused due to the pandemic.

Hanks tested positive for Covid-19 during filming in March 2020, becoming one of the first celebrities to go public with a diagnosis.

Speaking during a Q&A session following the trailer launch, Luhrmann said: “Someone like Shakespeare would take a very iconic, famous character and try and explore a larger theme.

“And if you want to explore America in the 50s, the 60s and the 70s you couldn’t pick a greater, more iconic life than that of Elvis Presley.”

Elvis will be released exclusively in cinemas on June 6.