Elvis Movie Director's Cut Is 4-Hours Long Says Baz Luhrmann
Baz Luhrmann says that a four-hour-long director's cut exists for Elvis. Director auteur Luhrmann, who has previously delivered flamboyant theatrical pieces like Romeo + Juliet (1996), Moulin Rouge! (2001), and The Great Gatsby (2013), helmed the upcoming musical biopic about the King of rock 'n roll Elvis Presley off a script he wrote himself with several notable screenwriters. Elvis stars Switched at Birth actor Austin Butler as the titular music icon. It charts the legendary artist's remarkable life journey from his humble Mississippi beginnings to his rise to far-reaching stardom in the 1950s. Tom Hanks, Richard Roxburgh, Olivia DeJonge, Luke Bracey, Natasha Bassett, and David Wenham round out the cast for Elvis.
Although it's due to open in theatres later this month, Elvis already had its world premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival back in May. The reviews for Elvis are generally positive, with much of the praise going to Butler's career-best lead performance and his striking physical and vocal resemblance to the legendary singer. However, one aspect of the biopic that has drawn criticism is that the narrative often feels overwhelming. The frenetic music, splashy set pieces, and dazzling cinematography can be visually staggering, inundating critics and viewers. Luhrmann has now explained why some might find Elvis a bit overpacked, which is because the movie's original version was much longer.
Related: Every Actor Who Has Played Elvis Presley In Movies
In a new interview with Radio Times, Luhrmann revealed that Elvis has a four-hour-long director's cut. The filmmaker had initially put together 240 minutes of footage. But given the time constraint of the theatrical cut, he had to chop off some significant clips
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