First there was the biopic, then there was the concert film – now Baz Luhrmann wants to take Elvis Presley back to the stage.
First, there was Baz Luhrmann‘s 2022 musical biopic Elvis, a typically OTT production that gifted an eager world with both Austin Butler and Tom Hanks wrapping his larynx around the weirdest accent of his entire career. Then there was EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, assembled from long lost and freshly found footage, probably screening near you, and apparently one of the greatest concert films of all time. Now comes the news that Baz wants to score an Elvis trifecta, the Moulin Rouge director having let slip that he’s working on an Elvis stage musical.
As reported by the NME, Luhrmann was talking to Dan Morrissey of Magic Radio when the topic of potential future Elvis-centric projects, including theatre, was raised.
“It’s being worked on, it’s happening,” Luhrmann replied. “I don’t know if I was supposed to announce it but, hey, I just did.”
Luhrmann went on to underline that he was not being particularly hands on with whatever this may turn out to be, comparing his work on the project with the way he selected Alex Timbers to bring Moulin Rouge to the stage. Apparently, he’s learned to delegate in his old age:
“I’m not doing it because I have this thing I’ve learned… I can never go backwards,” he said. “I can’t be me when I was 28 doing Romeo + Juliet, but I love handing it on. I’m not precious. I’m like ‘Take my baby!'”
Now, there is already an Elvis Presley stage musical, one fully authorised by Elvis Presley Enterprises, called Elvis: A Musical Revolution. But I’ve seen it, and it’s dreadful, so ol’ Baz shouldn’t have too much trouble putting together something much more impressive for our entertainment.
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