Tom Hanks In Talks To Play Colonel Tom Parker In Baz Luhrmann Untitled Elvis Presley Pic
Deadline has confirmed that two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks is in talks to play the iconic Colonel Tom Parker, manager of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis Presley movie for Warner Bros.
Deadline hears that the screenplay is by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce.
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The Dutch born Parker rose from being a carnival worker to discovering Presley and becoming the rock icon’s sole handler. Parker moved into music promotion, earning the courtesy rank of ‘Colonel’ from a grateful singer Jimmie Davis who had become governor of Louisiana. Within less than a year, Parker had Presley signed to a recording contract with RCA Victor, and turned him into a star with his first single “Heartbreak Hotel”, in addition to landing merchandising deals, TV appearances, and transforming the Tupelo, Mississippi native into a movie star of such pics as Viva Las Vegas and Jailhouse Rock. Parker leveraged Presley’s time in the Army after the singer was drafted in 1958, boosting his image during this time and turning a two-year absence into a big comeback with a homecoming rail-tour to Memphis.
Variety first had the news about Hanks’ casting.
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