Baz Lurhmann’s highly anticipated Elvis biopic officially has a Priscilla Presley, and I’m just gonna come right out and say it: Lana Del Rey was robbed.
[jwplayer u2a2Lr5L]
Aussie actress Olivia DeJonge is set to play Elvis Presley’s wife in the untitled biopic, and although it’s a huge win for Aussie talent, I simply cannot ignore the gaping Lana Del Rey-shaped hole that’s left in the film.
Austin Butler was announced as The King himself earlier this year after a lengthy search, and we’ve been speculating who will play Priscilla ever since, desperately hoping Lana Del Rey would be given the chance to live out her dreams on the big screen.
Lana, who has clearly drawn much of her creative and stylistic inspiration from Priscilla, was apparently desperate for the role.
“Lana feels it’s a role she was born to play,” a source told Radar Online. “She has had her agent badgering Baz for months now, hoping to get her cast.”
But this wasn’t just Lana’s personal pipe dream, no. Priscilla herself even gave Del Rey her blessing, telling reporters that she “likes Lana.”
Not to mention, there were countless tweets campaigning for Lana to be given the role of her damn dreams.
https://twitter.com/lanadelpresley/status/1151330733316685824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1151330733316685824&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pedestrian.tv%2Fentertainment%2Flana-del-rey-elvis-biopic%2F
https://twitter.com/bibagirI/status/1187821838287724544
Lana del Rey as Priscilla Presley is the only thing I want to see. pic.twitter.com/r3WhvnhUNS
— n.s. (@lunagroupie) July 24, 2019
So, Lana wanted it, Priscilla wanted her to have it, and the whole fucking internet was campaigning for it, but Bazzy Boy ignored us all. And boy, oh boy, Twitter was NOT happy about it.
bye now that @LanaDelRey isn’t Priscilla Presley, the whole Elvis movie is pic.twitter.com/rMPnNjqpt0
— 𝖒𝖔𝖔𝖓𝖈𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖉 🔮 (@xobrimichelle) October 26, 2019
if they don’t cast Lana del rey as Priscilla Presley they can honestly just keep it
— ♡ (@slxtgarden) October 26, 2019
So you’re telling me that Lana Del Rey wasn’t cast as Priscilla Presley?
— Alex (Eras Tour 3/31) (@theguynextdior) October 25, 2019
I know, I know, Lana Del Rey is 34-years-old. It doesn’t make sense for her to play a teenage Priscilla Presley. She’s also not an actress, but that’s not the point here, Baz. We want Lana. Give the people what they want.
But Luhrmann is pretty convinced he’s nailed the casting choice, so I guess we’ll just have to wait until the film gets released next year to find out.
“Olivia is capable of manifesting the complex depth and presence that has made Priscilla Presley an icon in her own right,” he said. “She’s an extremely talented young actor and the perfect counterpoint to Austin’s Elvis.”
Following the casting of Austin Butler earlier this year, Baz said the film wouldn’t work if the casting “wasn’t absolutely right,” so I guess he’s got a solid idea of what he wants this film to be. It’s just a shame that it’ll be sans-Del Rey.
The untitled biopic is set to be released on October 21, 2020 and will follow Elvis’ rise to fame.
