Elvis trailer divides fans over Austin Butler’s transformation into the King for Baz Luhrmann biopic

The trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s forthcoming biopic ELVIS has been released – and people are already divided.

The film stars Austin Butler (The Carrie Diaries, Switched at Birth, Zoey 101) as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll with Olivia DeJonge (The Visit and The Society) playing his wife Priscilla.

Tom Hanks will also appear in the film as Colonel Tom Parker, Presley’s Dutch-born manager.

The trailer has been highly anticipated with many fans looking forward to the film by Luhrmann (previously The Great Gatsby and Moulin Rouge).

Viewers are divided, however, over Butler’s role as the late icon.

“I look at Austin Butler and think he not only doesn’t resemble Elvis, but more crucially, he doesn’t feel like him,” wrote one person.

Another questioned whether Austin Butler is “three to five years too young?”

“Austin Butler as Elvis feels soooo wrong but let’s see what happens,” added someone else.

Others, however, are more excited to see the Nickelodeon alum take on the role.

“I can’t lie, it’s pretty dope that Austin Butler landed the role of Elvis,” said one person.

“Just saw the ELVIS trailer and Austin Butler looks amazing in it,” wrote another. While a third person wrote that his “transformation into Elvis looks promising”.

Someone else added: “Austin Butler does not look like Elvis. But he has the voice and moves down pat, scarily so.”

In the trailer, the 30-year-old actor is seen sporting Presley’s signature hair-do and a smudge of eyeliner.

The three-minute clip begins with Presley’s formative experiences as a young boy and his ascent to stardom. The end of the trailer chronicles a midlife crisis. “I’m gonna be 40 soon,” he is heard saying. “And nobody’s gonna remember me.”

It has been confirmed that Butler is singing in the film with snippets of his renditions of “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Jailhouse Rock” and “Suspicious Minds” appearing throughout the trailer.

When Butler’s Elvis becomes older, however, his character’s voice is a blend of Butler and tapes of Presley.

ELVIS has faced a two-year delay due to the pandemic. It was during production on the film that Hanks became one of the first celebrities to test positive for Covid-19 in March 2020.

The film arrives in theatres on 24 June.