Oscars Buzz For ‘Elvis’ …

I have honestly been very weary about the early buzz that was being generated for Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis,” but it sounds like it could be legitimate.

Of course, we all knew that “Bohemian Rhapsody” would just kick-start a whirlwind of Hollywood rock biopics. Newcomer Austin Butler plays Elvis Presley. Tom Hanks stars as his manager Colonel Tom Parker. The film has a script by “Fifty Shades of Grey” scribe Kelly Marcel.

The first hesitation I had was Tom Hanks’ ridiculous prosthetics and fat suit. That’s usually a major red flag since it could be a distraction while watching the film. And yet, the buzz hasn’t stopped. Kudos to Warner Bros. for keeping the engine of anticipation running.

There’s a Gold Derby reader who claims to have actually seen the movie twice during testing:

“It is FANTASTIC! Austin Butler (whom i knew nothing about) give a sensational performance and is really a remarkable Elvis. Tom Hanks nearly disappears into Col. Tom. The story covers Elvis from childhood through the early 70’s. And thus is definitely a Baz Lurman film. I can’t wait for it to come out so I can see the completely finished film. ”

Priscilla Presley has also seen the film with Jerry Schilling (one of Elvis’ friends) and they couldn’t believe how good the film was. They will be at attending the Cannes film festival premiere.

Austin Butler obviously looks like a serious Oscar contender as well, but Jason over at Insider swears that Hanks will potentially get nominated as well after watching 10 or so minutes of footage yesterday.

The Ankler’s Jeff Sneider briefly posted about an anonymous source who had seen “Elvis” on 02.28.22:

“Reps have equated this role to the female version of the Elvis biopic, which saw Hollywood's up-and-coming leading men jostle to curry favor with Baz Luhrmann, only for Austin Butler (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) to beat out bigger names such as Harry Styles and Miles Teller. Speaking of which, a source who has seen Elvis believes that Butler will receive an Oscar nomination for his performance, which they insist is going to surprise a lot of people, but they were less enthusiastic about Tom Hanks' turn as Colonel Tom Parker, or his uneven accent. Overall, they seemed to like the movie, but only to a point, which recalls the general consensus on Bohemian Rhapsody. Elvis should be so lucky, both at the box office and next year's Oscars.”