Baz Luhrmann Confirms New Elvis Stage Production

Baz Luhrmann, the director behind the 2022 Elvis biopic starring Austin Butler and the recent documentary EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, has confirmed plans for a new stage production based on the life and music of Elvis Presley.

Expanding the Elvis Universe

Luhrmann revealed the news during an interview with Magic Radio, stating, “It’s being worked on, it’s happening.” He clarified that he will not be directly involved in the creative execution of the musical, drawing a parallel to his approach with the Moulin Rouge! stage adaptation.

“I don’t do it myself because I learned something – I have [Autor/Regisseur] Letting Alex Timbers do the ‘Moulin Rouge!’ musical – I can never go back,” Luhrmann explained. He emphasized the importance of allowing new creative voices to shape the project, acknowledging his own evolution as a filmmaker since his early works like Romeo + Juliet and Strictly Ballroom.

Building on a Legacy of Stage Productions

Elvis Presley’s music has a history on stage, with previous productions including Jailhouse Rock, which premiered in London’s West End in 2004, and All Shook Up, which debuted on Broadway in 2005.

Insights from ‘EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert’

Luhrmann also shared that the process of creating EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, which utilizes previously unseen concert footage and intimate interviews, provided new insights into the singer’s life. He described the documentary to People as “a cinematic tone poem,” highlighting the unique opportunity to present Elvis speaking directly about his experiences.

“Documents about Elvis tend to consist of people talking about him: ‘Well, Elvis is that.’ As we went through the material, we realized we had him in his prime…singing like never seen before. We found 40 minutes of footage of him actually talking about his life and himself,” Luhrmann stated.