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TORONTO, June 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Warner Bros. Pictures Canada celebrated the upcoming release of “Elvis” by bringing Oscar-nominated visionary filmmaker Baz Luhrmann and the movie’s stars, Austin Butler and Olivia DeJonge, to Toronto for an Exclusive Canadian Screening Event on Friday evening. More than 500 Elvis fans and movie lovers gathered at TIFF Bell Lightbox for the first public screening of the film in Canada, which was hosted in partnership with the Toronto International Film Festival. Luhrmann, Butler and DeJonge spoke to select national broadcast TV, radio, and digital press along with Canada’s top exhibitors on a mesmerizing Elvis-themed red carpet. Prior to the screening, eager Elvis fans lined up for hours and erupted with excitement when one lucky fan won a Gibson SJ-200 guitar worth more than $6,000 just in time to have it signed by the stars, making for the ultimate keepsake.
Following the red carpet, audience members had the opportunity to watch as the cast and director participated in a 30-minute Q&A about the film - moderated by TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey – which was also livestreamed for thousands of Elvis fans around the world on TIFF’s TikTok page.
The “Elvis” Exclusive Canadian Screening Event featured TIFF’s largest red carpet build to date with more than 150 lightbulbs, themed to a carnival scene spectacle in the film; a 13 ft-high film-branded backdrop; and a carpet that ran a whopping 100 feet throughout TIFF Bell Lightbox lobby. Fans of Elvis and the theatrical experience can see the film across Canada when the film hits theatres on June 24, marking the return of Elvis to Canada after the artist played his first show in Toronto at the iconic Maple Leaf Gardens back in 1957, before shows in Ottawa and Vancouver.
ABOUT ELVIS
From Oscar-nominated visionary filmmaker Baz Luhrmann comes Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama “Elvis”, starring Austin Butler and Oscar winner Tom Hanks. The film explores the life and music of Elvis Presley (Butler), seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Hanks). The story delves into the complex dynamic between Presley and Parker spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).
Starring alongside Hanks and Butler, award-winning theatre actress Helen Thomson (“Top of the Lake: China Girl,” “Rake”) plays Elvis’s mother, Gladys, Richard Roxburgh (“Moulin Rouge!” “Breath,” “Hacksaw Ridge”) portrays Elvis’s father, Vernon, and DeJonge (“The Visit,” “Stray Dolls”) plays Priscilla. Luke Bracey (“Hacksaw Ridge,” “Point Break”) plays Jerry Schilling, Natasha Bassett (“Hail, Caesar!”) plays Dixie Locke, David Wenham (“The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, “Lion,” “300”) plays Hank Snow, Kelvin Harrison Jr. (“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “The High Note”) plays B.B. King, Xavier Samuel (“Adore,” “Love & Friendship,” “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”) plays Scotty Moore, and Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”) plays Jimmie Rodgers Snow.
Also in the cast, Dacre Montgomery (“Stranger Things,” “The Broken Heart Gallery”) plays TV director Steve Binder, alongside Australian actors Leon Ford (“Gallipoli,” “The Pacific”) as Tom Diskin, Kate Mulvany (“The Great Gatsby,” “Hunters”) as Marion Keisker, Gareth Davies (“Peter Rabbit,” “Hunters”) as Bones Howe, Charles Grounds (“Crazy Rich Asians,” “Camp”) as Billy Smith, Josh McConville (“Fantasy Island”) as Sam Phillips, and Adam Dunn (“Home and Away”) as Bill Black.
To play additional iconic musical artists in the film, Luhrmann cast singer/songwriter Yola as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, model Alton Mason as Little Richard, Austin, Texas native Gary Clark Jr. as Arthur Crudup, and artist Shonka Dukureh as Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton.
Oscar nominee Luhrmann (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”) directed from a screenplay by Baz Luhrmann & Sam Bromell and Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce and Jeremy Doner, story by Baz Luhrmann and Jeremy Doner. The film’s producers are Luhrmann, Oscar winner Catherine Martin (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”), Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss. Courtenay Valenti and Kevin McCormick executive produced.
The director’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Mandy Walker (“Mulan,” “Australia”), Oscar-winning production designer and costume designer Catherine Martin (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”), production designer Karen Murphy (“A Star Is Born”), editors Matt Villa (“The Great Gatsby,” “Australia”) and Jonathan Redmond (“The Great Gatsby”), Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor Thomas Wood (“Mad Max: Fury Road”), music supervisor Anton Monsted (“Australia,” “Moulin Rouge!”) and composer Elliott Wheeler (“The Get Down”).
Principal photography on “Elvis” took place in Queensland, Australia with the support of the Queensland Government, Screen Queensland and the Australian Government’s Producer Offset program.
A Warner Bros. Pictures Presentation, A Bazmark Production, A Jackal Group Production, A Baz Luhrmann Film, “Elvis” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is set to release in theatres in North America on June 24, 2022, and internationally beginning 22 June 2022.
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Press inquiries, please contact:
Christopher Lewchuk, Warner Bros. Pictures Canada
Christopher.lewchuk@warnerbros.com
Akasha Di Tomasso, Warner Bros. Pictures Canada
Akasha.DiTomasso@warnerbros.com
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