Elvis Presley was called the “King of Rock and Roll” and stepping into his shoes won’t be an easy feat.
Some of Hollywood’s biggest names have auditioned in hopes to star as the icon in the upcoming Baz Luhrmann-directed movie. These famous A-listers all can sing and pull off a mean hip swivel. Needless to say, the filmmaker has a tough choice to make before he announces his decision next week.
The biopic first emerged in 2014. It was only earlier this year when we finally got an update that Tom Hanks was cast as Presley’s controlling manager, Colonel Tom Parker. The “Untitled Elvis Presley Project” will delve into the relationship and dynamic between Presley and Parker.
So who are the contenders? The producers of Warner Bros. are looking 2 singers (including one famous boy band member), 3 multi-talented actors. They are Ansel Elgort, former One Direction star Harry Styles, Miles Teller, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Austin Butler.
1. Ansel Elgort
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4gsAS8h3p0
Besides starring in movie hits like “The Fault in Our Stars”, “Divergent”, and “Baby Driver” (where he earned a Golden Globe nomination), Elgort has moonlighted as DJ/singer Ansolo. According to EW, the actor had 2 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot Hip Hop/R&B and Hot Dance/Electronic charts. He is set to star in Steven Spielberg‘s upcoming remake of “West Side Story” as Tony.
2. Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Another Golden Globe nominee here is Taylor-Johnson. You may remember him from “Nocturnal Animals” or “Avengers: Age of Ultron”. The English actor has already proven he can sing live with a pompadour and a guitar in hand when he portrayed rock legend John Lennon, in the 2009 film “Nowhere Boy”. Check out his rendition of “Maggie Mae” above.
3. Harry Styles
We already know that Styles can sing – he was, after all, in one of the biggest boybands around. But it was in the 2017 Christopher Nolan WWII drama “Dunkirk” where he impressed critics with his acting chops.
4. Miles Teller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRqGPKGn0xs
Also in the running is Teller, who earned his break out role in Oscar-nominated film “Whiplash” and nearly got the lead role in “La La Land” (but lost out to Ryan Gosling). Before we see him in the upcoming sequel of “Top Gun”, watch him hold a note in the ABC News show, “Popcorn with Peter Travers”.
5. Austin Butler
He is Vanessa Hudgens’ handsome boyfriend. But more importantly, this dude is a multi-instrumentalist (violin, piano, and guitar). He may be lesser-known than the rest, but Butler has appeared in numerous TV series (including “The Carrie Diaries” and “The Shannara Chronicles”) and will be seen in Quentin Tarantino’s new film, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”.
Who here has the chops to pull off Elvis Presley? Sound off in the comments below.
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