Austin Butler attends the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 24, 2019 in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagicFor all the suspicious minds wondering how Austin Butler will fare as Elvis Presley in the new biopic, by the looks of a new teaser, he’s nailed the performance.
Filmmaker Baz Luhrmann (The Great Gatsby), who’s helming the biopic, gave fans a first look at Butler’s portrayal of The King of Rock & Roll on what he called “Elvis Monday” (Nov. 15). “Made a little something to let you good people know we are taking care of business on June 24, 2022,” he captioned the 21-second snippet on Instagram while highlighting the King’s “taking care of business” mantra.
In the clip, the 30-year-old actor is seen, only from behind, with his perfectly slicked-back black hair walking backstage in his classic black leather jacket in one shot and white suit in another while his 1969 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Suspicious Minds” plays in the background.
Some musicians are ready for the film based on Luhrmann’s comments section, where Yola wrote “YEEESSSSSS!!!” followed by fire emojis and Ben Wells chimed in with, “Cannot. Wait!!”
The yet-untitled Elvis biopic is set to be released in theaters on June 24, 2022. The release date has been pushed back many times throughout the last year due to COVID, including after Tom Hanks — who will play Elvis’ manager Colonel Tom Parker in the film — contracted the virus in Australia, where he was filming the biopic, along with his wife Rita Wilson.
Watch Luhrmann’s biopic snippet below.
NEWS
Lola Young has joined forces with Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to release a new T shirt for the charity’s Lifelines collection.
The shirt supports CALM’s suicide prevention work, with proceeds helping to fund vital resources such as its helpline and CALMzone mental health app.
CALM introduced the Lifelines range last year, with Fontaines D.C., Blossoms and Inhaler also contributing their own designs to the collection.
Young’s design includes the words, “There’s a flicker of light. There’s always morning after the night”, taken from her track ‘Flicker Of Light’.
“I wrote this song about realising there is hope. I have often felt like there isn’t, but there is always a reason to keep going,” Young said. “That’s even when you don’t want to get out of bed, you do, and that is amazing, and you’re still here, and you’re still alive, and if anything, that’s something to be proud of.”
CALM CEO Simon Gunning also shared his appreciation for the collaboration, saying: “We couldn’t be more grateful to Lola for supporting ‘Lifelines’ and showing just how powerful music can be as a force for good.”
Priced at £30, the T shirts come in both standard and boxy fits and are available to purchase here.
Young has regularly spoken about her experiences with mental health. She returned to performing earlier this year after calling off her 2025 tour because of exhaustion. The decision followed her collapse during a performance in New York City. During her time away, she later discussed receiving support for addiction and attending AA meetings as part of her recovery.
In an interview with NME in May, Young explained that she believes “all healing journeys are never ending”, although she is now “definitely in a much better place”. She also said she feels “excited and ready to perform and to release music”.
Reflecting on the encouragement she received after publicly discussing those challenges, Young said: “My fans inspire me in the same way I hope to inspire them. I feel like I’ve never tried to be especially honest… it just comes very naturally to me.”
“I don’t really have any other choice but to be honest, so if people connect to that, and that’s amazing.”
Several musicians have also applauded the ‘Messy’ singer for honestly addressing the pressure placed on touring performers. Lily Allen said she was “in awe” of the BRIT and Grammy winner, while Victoria Canal credited Young with bringing greater attention to the damaging impact demanding tour schedules can have on artists’ mental wellbeing.
When NME asked whether musicians were beginning to establish firmer boundaries around their health, Young replied: “I never intended it to start a movement, but I hope that it does in some way.”
