Luke Bracey Joins Cast of Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Brent Lang
·2 min read

Luke Bracey has joined the cast of Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis,” an upcoming look at the King of Rock and Roll.

The actor will play Jerry Schilling, who started out with Elvis Presley as young football buddies in Memphis. While he became a crucial part of Elvis’ entourage throughout his career, Schilling also had an independent life and career outside of the so-called “Memphis Mafia.” He managed the Beach Boys and Jerry Lee Lewis, among other music acts.

Bracey joins a formidable cast that includes Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker, Presley’s manager; Maggie Gyllenhaal as the King’s mother, Gladys Presley; and Rufus Sewell as his father, Vernon Presley. Austin Butler of TV’s “Carrie Diaries” and “Switched at Birth” and Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” will play Presley.

Bracey previously starred as Johnny Utah in the 2015 remake of “Point Break.” He also played Cobra Commander in “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” and starred in “The November Man,” “Hacksaw Ridge,” and “The Best of Me.” Next up, Bracey leads Netflix’s original rom-com “Holidate” opposite Emma Roberts, as well as stars in the independent drama “Violet,” along with Olivia Munn and Justin Theroux. He can currently be seen in Hulu’s “Little Fires Everywhere.”

Luhrmann is directing the film, his first feature since 2013’s “The Great Gatsby,” as well as co-writing the screenplay and co-producing.

According to the official longline, “Elvis” is “seen through the prism of [Presley’s] complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker, the film delves into the complex dynamic between Presley and 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.”

Production on “Elvis” halted last spring due to coronavirus and after Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for COVID-19. Shooting recently resumed in Australia. Warner Bros., the studio backing and releasing the film, is eyeing a November 2021 release date.

Bracey is repped by CAA, Fourward Management, and Mark Morrissey in Australia.

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