After months of anticipation, Warner Bros. has finally announced who they’ve picked to play Elvis Presley in their upcoming biopic. Drum roll please… the one and only Austin Butler has been cast for the role! Yep, you might want to brace yourselves because the swoon-worthy actor is about to star as the King of Rock and Roll, and we could not be more excited.
“I knew I couldn’t make this film if the casting wasn’t absolutely right, and we searched thoroughly for an actor with the ability to evoke the singular natural movement and vocal qualities of this peerless star, but also the inner vulnerability of the artist,” director Baz Luhrmann said in a statement to Variety. “Throughout the casting process, it was an honor for me to encounter such a vast array of talent. I had heard about Austin Butler from his stand-out role opposite Denzel Washington in The Iceman Cometh on Broadway, and through a journey of extensive screen testing and music and performance workshops, I knew unequivocally that I had found someone who could embody the spirit of one of the world’s most iconic musical figures.”
The 27-year-old’s girlfriend, High School Musical actress Vanessa Hudgens, had the cutest reaction to the news.
“I AMMMM OVERRRR THE F–KING MOOOOOOOOONNNNN,” she wrote on Instagram. “I CANT WAIT. SO PROUD OF MY HONEYYYYY!”
As fans know, the internet pretty much went crazy when The Hollywood Reporter reported at the beginning of the month that they were looking at Austin, Harry Styles, Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller and Aaron Taylor-Johnson to play the musical legend. Tom Hanks (who voices Woody in Toy Story!) has already been cast in the upcoming flick as Tom Parker, Elvis’ manager.
Austin is seriously perfect for the role. He’s starred in a ton of movies and TV shows over the years, including Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, Zoey 101, Ruby & the Rockits, Aliens in the Attic, Life Unexpected, Switched at Birth, The Carrie Diaries, The Dead Don’t Die (alongside Selena Gomez) and more. We seriously cannot wait to see this movie!
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