Without a question, Elvis has been one of the most successful movies of the last year, rekindling interest in the namesake performer throughout the globe. Now, Sofia Coppola is making a film on the man, but with a different tone. The Oscar winner has signed on to direct and write Priscilla for A24, which is based on the biography Elvis and Me by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley. Meanwhile, Cailee Spaeny has been cast as Priscilla and Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley. In her 1985 memoir Elvis and Me, co-authored with Sandra Harmon, Priscilla gives her side of the story of her marriage to the King. Although the singer was often portrayed favourably, especially at the time, the biography paints a different image. Beginning with their first meeting when Priscilla was 14 and Elvis was 24, the book follows the pair as they grow closer, fall in love, and ultimately separate.
From Elvis’ drug usage to Priscilla’s suspicions of infidelity, this book explores the story of the couple’s turbulent relationship from her perspective. This will be Coppola’s first picture since the 2020s On the Rocks, and it has been said that she has been eyeing Priscilla as her next project for some time. Lost in Translation, starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, is probably the director’s most well-known picture. She won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and was nominated for Best Director and Best Picture for her work on the film. The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and The Beguiled are some of her other cinematic credits. As with all of her other films, Coppola will also write the screenplay for this one. The actor who will play Elvis, Elordi, is most known for his part in the critically acclaimed HBO miniseries Euphoria.
He also starred in Hulu’s Deep Water and Netflix’s The Kissing Booth trilogy. After meeting with a number of young performers, Coppola reportedly cast Elordi in the part. However, Spaeny was always Coppola’s first option when casting Priscilla. Spaeny’s portrayal of Eleanor Roosevelt on Showtime’s The First Lady is very new. She has also appeared in Devs and Mare of Easttown and in the movies On the Basis of Sex and Bad Times at the El Royale. Coppola’s business, American Zoetrope, will serve as the film’s producer. The Apartment and Fremantle Company are also on board to produce the film. The Apartment, Fremantle Company, and Stage 6 of Sony provided funding. Also, in the United States and Canada, A24 will serve as the film’s distributor.
Preparations for filming Priscilla in Toronto are already underway for this autumn.