Richard Roxburgh and Helen Thomson, to play Elvis’s parents.
A host of Aussie actors have joined the main cast of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic, including Richard Roxburgh, Helen Thomson, David Wenham and Dacre Montgomery.
They join the previously announced Austin Butler in the titular role, Tom Hanks as manager Colonel Tom Parker, Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla Presley, and Luke Bracey as Jerry Schilling.
Roxburgh, who has previously worked with Luhrmann on Moulin Rouge!, will play Elvis’s father, Vernon, and Thomson his mother, Gladys.
The roles were initially to be filled by Maggie Gyllenhaal and Rufus Sewell, but both actors have had to leave the Warner Bros. project after it was shutdown and subsequently delayed due to Hanks contracting COVID-19.
Wenham will play Hank Snow and Montgomery TV director Steve Binder. The biopic will also star Natasha Bassett as Dixie Locke, Xavier Samuel as Scotty Moore, Leon Ford as Tom Diskin, Kate Mulvany as Marion Keisker, Gareth Davies as Bones Howe, Charles Grounds as Billy Smith, Josh McConville as Sam Phillips, and Adam Dunn as Bill Black.
Due to resume shooting on the Gold Coast September 23, Elvis will explore the life and music of Presley, seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
Scripted by Luhrmann and long-time collaborator Craig Pearce, the story delves into the dynamic between the Presley and Parker over 20 years, spanning the singer’s rise to fame and unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America.
On the cast, Luhrmann said: “Elvis was surrounded by an extraordinary array of rich personalities, and we are very fortunate to pull together a tremendous ensemble to tell this story. It’s exciting to unite some of Australia’s finest actors, from longtime collaborators from Moulin Rouge!, Australia and The Great Gatsby like Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham and Kate Mulvany, to exciting new faces such as Dacre Montgomery, Helen Thomson, Luke Bracey, Natasha Bassett and many more.
“With the world as it is right now, our entire company is grateful that we can join together in this creative venture to bring employment and opportunity in front of and behind the camera, and to the community at large.”
Producing with Luhrmann are wife Catherine Martin, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss, with Andrew Mittman executive producing.
Mandy Walker is the DOP, Martin production and costume designer, editors Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond and composer Elliott Wheeler.
The Queensland government, Screen Queensland and the Producer Offset are supporting the production.