2 Jul – Director Baz Luhrmann has been attached to Warner Bros.' Elvis Presley project for about five years now and finally, he's tested several young actors to star as the eponymous singer. Harry Styles, Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller and Austin Butler are the actors vying for the legendary role, as reported by Deadline. 25-year-old Styles, who has recently wrapped up his solo worldwide tour, is predominantly known as a member of the UK boyband One Direction. His first foray into theatrical acting was in Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk". Also 25, Elgort, a singer and DJ when he's not acting in movies like "Baby Driver" and "The Fault in Our Stars", has proven his singing chops with the release of his singles in the past couple of years.
The oldest of the bunch, 32-year-old Teller, who will be seen next year in Tom Cruise's "Top Gun: Maverick", does bear a resemblance to the rock-and-roll legend and has on occasions showed off his singing skills. 27-year-old actor and singer, Butler, who this year appears in "The Dead Don't Die" and "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", rounds up the candidates tested for the lead role. Luhrmann will be making his decision by next week and whoever among the four is cast will be starring opposite Tom Hanks, who is set to play Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker. The Elvis Presley movie, written by Luhrmann with Craig Pearce, will cover the relationship between the singer and his manager, who is said to have taken half of Presley's earnings for himself in exchange of building the young man from dirt-poor origins to the iconic star that he is known as to this day. (Photo source: Harry Styles' Instagram)