With filming back under way on director Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic after a lengthy delay, Kelvin Harrison Jr. has signed on to join the cast.
Harrison Jr., 26, has come aboard to play blues legend B.B. King in the biopic, according to Deadline.
He joins a star-studded cast that includes Austin Butler as Elvis Presley andTom Hanks as his longtime manager Colonel Parker.
New role: With filming back under way on director Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic after a lengthy delay, Kelvin Harrison Jr. has signed on to join the cast
Blues legend: Harrison Jr., 26, has come aboard to play blues legend B.B. King in the biopic, according to Deadline
The biopic will chronicle the dynamic between Presley and Parker, with the film set over a 20-year time period.
His journey to stardom is set, ‘against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America.
The story also follows one of the most important people in The King of Rock and Roll’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).
King of Rock: The biopic will chronicle the dynamic between Presley and Parker, with the film set over a 20-year time period
The cast also includes Luke Bracey as Jerry Schilling, part of Elvis’ entourage known as the Memphis Mafia, Dacre Montgomery as Steve Binder, who directed Elivs’ comeback special in 1968 and Richard Roxburgh as Elvis’ father Vernon.
Baz Lurhmann (The Great Gatsby) directs from a script he co-wrote with Sam Bromell (The Get Down), Kelly Marcel (Venom) and Craig Pearce, who has written several of Luhrmann’s films including Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby.
The project, which is still untitled, is slated for release on November 5, 2021 at this time, though that could change given the uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cast: The cast also includes Luke Bracey as Jerry Schilling, part of Elvis’ entourage known as the Memphis Mafia, Dacre Montgomery as Steve Binder, who directed Elivs’ comeback special in 1968 and Richard Roxburgh as Elvis’ father Vernon
Release: The project, which is still untitled, is slated for release on November 5, 2021 at this time, though that could change given the uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic
Production originally began in late January, though filming was shut down in mid-March after Tom Hanks contracted COVID-19.
Production was shut down for more than six months, which lead to a few casting changes as well.
Richard Roxburgh and Helen Thomson were brought on to play both of Elvis’ parents, Vernon and Gladys, replacing Rufus Sewell and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Production: Production originally began in late January, though filming was shut down in mid-March after Tom Hanks contracted COVID-19
Harrison is coming off a trio of major studio movies in 2020, The Photograph with Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield, The High Note with Tracee Ellis Ross and Dakota Johnson and The Trial of the Chicago 7 with Sacha Baron Cohen.
He”ll next be seen as Christian in the upcoming Cyrano, which follows the life of Cyrano de Bergerac, played by Peter Dinklage.
Harrison also had a big year in 2019, starring in the critically-acclaimed Waves and the TV series The Godfather of Harlem.
Big year: Harrison is coming off a trio of major studio movies in 2020, The Photograph with Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield, The High Note with Tracee Ellis Ross and Dakota Johnson and The Trial of the Chicago 7 with Sacha Baron Cohen
Coming soon: He”ll next be seen as Christian in the upcoming Cyrano, which follows the life of Cyrano de Bergerac, played by Peter Dinklage
Last year: Harrison also had a big year in 2019, starring in the critically-acclaimed Waves and the TV series The Godfather of Harlem