Yahoo EntertainmentKelvin Harrison Jr. To Play Blues Icon B.B. King In Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’ Project
EXCLUSIVE: Kelvin Harrison Jr. has landed a supporting role in the upcoming Elvis film from director Baz Luhrmann and Warner Bros. The pic resumed shooting back in September after star Tom Hanks came down with COVID-19 in March, prompting a six-month production shutdown.
Austin Butler has been tapped to star as King of Rock and Roll, while Hanks is playing Elvis’ manager Colonel Tom. Harrison Jr., most recently seen in The Photograph, The High Note, and Netflix’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, will play legendary blues musician B.B. King a.k.a The King of the Blues.
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Written by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce, the film delves into the complex dynamic between Presley and the enigmatic Parker spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).
Luhrmann is producing the film with Catherine Martin, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick, and Schuyler Weiss. Andrew Mittman serves as executive producer.
Harrison Jr. is also set to join Peter Dinklage in Cyrano, MGM’s musical film adaptation of the Off-Broadway play. His reps are Stride Management, WME, and attorney Nina Shaw.
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