Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann has announced an exciting new Elvis Presley project, three years after the release of his celebrated movie about the King of Rock.
The Oscar-nominated director, 62, shared a post to social media on Friday revealing he would soon be screening a new Elvis Presley documentary, featuring never-before-seen footage of the late singer.
‘During the making of ELVIS, we went on a search for rumoured unseen footage from the iconic 1970s concert films That’s The Way It Is and Elvis on Tour,’ Baz wrote.
‘I had researchers go into the Warners Bros. film vaults buried in underground salt mines and, to the astonishment of all, we uncovered 68 boxes of film negative, as well as unseen 8mm footage.’
Baz added he had spent two years putting the footage together and would soon be releasing it for fans.
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Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann has announced an exciting new Elvis Presley project, three years after the release of his celebrated movie about the King of Rock
‘One of the great finds has been unheard recordings of Elvis talking about his life and his music. It was this that gave the inspiration for EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, which is not specifically a documentary, nor a concert film,’ he wrote.
‘As the journey of creating this film continues, I seriously can’t wait to share it with you all!’
The movie is set to be released later this year.
His musical biopic of Elvis Presley grossed a massive US$288million (AU$449m) globally.
Elvis became Australia’s second biggest film opening ever when it was released in June 2022 – beaten only by The Great Gatsby, which was also directed by Baz.
At the time, Hugh Jackman said newcomer Austin Butler ‘crushes it’ in his role as Elvis Presley.
Butler’s performance as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll has already catapulted him to global fame.
He was previously known for his small role opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
The Oscar-nominated director shared a post to social media on Friday revealing he would soon be screening a new Elvis Presley documentary, featuring never-before-seen footage of the late singer. Pictured: Austin Butler as Elvis in Baz’s movie
‘During the making of ELVIS, we went on a search for rumoured unseen footage from the iconic 1970s concert films That’s The Way It Is and Elvis on Tour,’ Baz told fans
Hugh concluded his review of Elvis by saying: ‘I highly, highly recommend you all go out to see it.’
It was nominated in eight Oscar categories at the 2023 Academy Awards, although did not win any.
Baz’s movies are highly regarded for blending a modern style with older music and aesthetics.
It comes after the Gold Coast ‘shack’ Luhrmann and wife Catherine Martin rented while they were making Elvis sold for $5.72million.
The couple have been living increasingly ‘separate lives’ in recent years, with the costume designer living in the Miami area home while the director worked in New York.
Baz and Catherine have been married for 27 years and recently saw their own children Lilly, 20, and William, 18, move out of home.
He rose to fame as the director of the Australian box office hit Strictly Ballroom in 1992.
The filmmaker followed it up with more hits including Romeo + Juliet (1996) with Leonardo DiCaprio, Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Australia (2008) both with Nicole Kidman and The Great Gatsby (2013), which also featured DiCaprio.
