The enduring legacy of Elvis Presley continues to captivate audiences, sparking constant interest, especially when talk surfaces about The New Elvis Presley Movie Coming Out. In recent years, not one, but two significant films have revisited the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, offering distinct perspectives. In 2022, Baz Luhrmann’s dazzling Elvis presented Austin Butler in a star-making turn. Close on its heels came Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla in 2023, shifting the focus to Elvis’ wife, Priscilla Beaulieu (played by Cailee Spaeny), with Jacob Elordi stepping into the blue suede shoes. While Butler commanded the screen as the central figure in Luhrmann’s biopic, Elordi’s Elvis serves Priscilla’s narrative. Yet, these portrayals, born from different visions, surprisingly harmonize, each seeking truth in the enigmatic figure Elvis remains. This exploration delves into these two major recent films that dominate the conversation around new Elvis Presley movies.
Context: Elvis on Screen Before the Latest Buzz
While the Butler and Elordi portrayals have generated significant discussion, they aren’t the first attempts to capture Elvis on film. John Carpenter’s 1979 TV movie Elvis, released just two years after the singer’s death, starred Kurt Russell in a performance often praised for its energy and uncanny resemblance. Later interpretations included Val Kilmer’s brief, apparition-like Elvis in 1993’s True Romance and Michael Shannon’s portrayal of a quirky, pompadoured Elvis meeting President Nixon in 2016’s Elvis & Nixon. However, the depth and contrasting angles offered by Butler’s and Elordi’s performances in their respective films arguably bring audiences closer than ever to the complex man behind the myth, creating a unique cinematic moment where two distinct Elvises echo each other.
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis: The Spectacle and the Star (Austin Butler)
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis is, true to the director’s style, a high-energy spectacle. Austin Butler embodies an Elvis fueled by ambition and raw talent. Early scenes depict him as a young man on the cusp, radiating confidence mixed with nervous energy. The film charts his rise under the controlling influence of Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), whose portrayal focused on a manipulative, almost predatory hold over his client. Butler captures the electrifying stage presence masterfully; his performance in an early concert scene, clad in a pink suit, conveys both disbelief at the audience’s adoration and an insatiable hunger for it.
Austin Butler embodying Elvis Presley’s electrifying stage presence in Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 film Elvis.
Butler’s interpretation leans into the theatricality of Elvis, the performer who seemed inseparable from his stage persona. This is Elvis’ story, tracing the dizzying highs and tragic lows of his career. Even his relationship with Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge) is presented through this lens – they are partners in the whirlwind, navigating the glitz of Las Vegas with matching ambition. Yet, Luhrmann also positions Elvis as a victim, exploited by Parker. Butler, with features reminiscent of the real Elvis’s youthful bloom, portrays the King’s vulnerability, particularly in moments of personal loss. His breakdown after his mother Gladys’ death, crumpling in her closet, is poignant. A standout moment is Priscilla’s departure; Butler’s Elvis, voice slurred by pills, pleads brokenly, ultimately collapsing in fragile despair – a powerful depiction of a man losing his grip on reality.
Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla: Through Her Eyes (Jacob Elordi & Cailee Spaeny)
Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, based on Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir Elvis and Me, deliberately shifts the narrative lens. Here, Elvis is not the sun around which everything orbits; the story belongs to Priscilla. Cailee Spaeny delivers a remarkable performance, portraying Priscilla from a 14-year-old schoolgirl meeting her idol to the 27-year-old woman who leaves him, always retaining a core of dignity. The film resists painting her solely as a victim. Coppola and Spaeny depict a young woman navigating an extraordinary situation, making choices with a nascent wisdom.
Jacob Elordi’s Elvis enters this narrative during his army service in Germany, a period following his mother’s death. His first encounter with Priscilla is portrayed not with predatory intent, but with a surprising curiosity and shared loneliness. Elordi reveals an Elvis grappling with grief, a vulnerability that initially draws the young Priscilla in. This neediness, however, is later shown as a potential tool for manipulation. When Elvis returns to the US and rumors of affairs surface, Elordi’s stammered excuses over the phone expose a different facet – the deceit hidden beneath the charm.
Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley and Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Beaulieu in a quiet scene from Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla movie.
This portrayal emphasizes Elvis’s capacity for control and casual cruelty, perhaps amplified by drug use but also inherent in his desire to shape his world. The chilling scene where he pushes Priscilla to dye her hair and adopt heavy makeup, molding her into his image, speaks volumes. Elordi plays this darker side with muted anguish. His Elvis often seems absent even when present, his mumble hinting at inner turmoil. It’s an Elvis viewed through Priscilla’s experience – a dreamlike figure, both captivating and damaging, a “living ghost.”
Cailee Spaeny captures Priscilla Presley’s transformation and quiet strength in the film Priscilla.
Comparing the Kings: Butler vs. Elordi
Both Elvis and Priscilla present their subject indirectly – Luhrmann through the distorting lens of Colonel Parker, and Coppola through the intimate perspective of Priscilla. It suggests Elvis himself is too immense, too blinding, to view head-on. Austin Butler gives us the magnetic performer, the rising star, the bruised monarch consumed by his own fame. His Elvis lives for the stage, blurring the lines between person and persona. Jacob Elordi, conversely, embodies the private Elvis, the man grappling with insecurity, grief, and a manipulative streak behind closed doors. His performance is quieter, more internalized, reflecting the shadow Elvis cast on Priscilla’s life.
Luhrmann’s film captures the meteoric rise and public pressures, while Coppola’s focuses on the domestic sphere, the gilded cage of Graceland, and the emotional toll of loving a superstar. Butler’s Elvis is defined by movement and sound; Elordi’s by stillness and quiet intensity. Yet, together, these portrayals offer a richer, more complex picture. Like an “answer song,” Priscilla responds to Elvis, filling in the gaps, questioning the myth, and highlighting the perspective of the woman beside the King. Butler shows us the dazzling exterior; Elordi reveals the unsettling shadows within.
Conclusion: Two Sides of the King
For those searching for “The New Elvis Presley Movie Coming Out,” the answer lies in these two compelling, nearly back-to-back releases: Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis and Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla. They are not redundant but complementary, offering vastly different yet equally valid explorations of an American icon. Austin Butler captures the electrifying energy and tragic trajectory of the public figure, while Jacob Elordi delves into the more intimate, complex, and sometimes troubling aspects of the private man, as seen through the eyes of the woman who knew him best. Together, these films provide a fascinating, multifaceted look at Elvis Presley, ensuring his story continues to resonate with contemporary audiences and proving that the King’s cultural reign is far from over. Explore more Shock Naue entertainment news for further insights into legendary figures and cinematic interpretations.
