Tom Hanks Is The Villain of Elvis’s Story In New Trailer 

The new biopic from Baz Luhrmann takes on the life of Elvis, while providing a unrecognizable and antagonistic Tom Hanks.

By Jacqueline Lindenberg | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

Tom Hanks

“Are you ready to fly?” Tom Hanks’s character asks Elvis in the new trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s film, Elvis. Tom Hanks is just one of the list of Hollywood stars to be part of a new film that chronicles the life and king of music, Elvis Presley. Hanks has taken part in various roles in his career in the entertainment industry, but being part of the biopic that tells the legend of Elvis is definitely a monumental moment in his career. Hanks will play the role of Colonel Tom Parker, the antagonist of the movie. See Tom Hanks joining a star-studded cast in the Elvis trailer below. 

The trailer from beginning to end is set to give viewers the chills. Elvis Presley was such a major influence in the music industry and really defined the stage for rock n’ roll. The trailer opens up with shots of Elvis, played by Austin Butler, and Tom Hanks doing a voiceover to open up the full-length trailer. Hanks is heard saying, “There are some who make me out to be the villain of this here story.” It will be interesting to see how Hanks is actually portrayed as the villain of Elvis in the movie.

tom hanks

The story will be mainly told through Hanks’s character, Tom Parker, who plays the role of Elvis’s manager, according to USA Today. The trailer shows Elvis as a young boy, discovering his love for music and then transitioning to the singer on a stage, most likely about to perform for the first time in front of a large audience. Tom Hanks looks almost unrecognizable in his new role as Tom Parker.

The little scenes in the trailer do an excellent job highlighting Elvis’s unique moves, iconic hairstyle, and sense of style. It will be great to see Elvis’s jump to fame, from when Tom Hanks’ character discovers the artist’s talent. The singer’s difficulties and struggles dealing with fame and fortune will be are the forefront of this biopic. The trailer shows other important moments not just in the singer’s life, but also in history. According to Collider, the film will show an in-depth look at Elvis’s time in the military, and then his leap into his experience with various musical genres. Other recent biopics have told the life stories of iconic singers like Freddie Mercury, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Elton John in Rocketman.

Elvis is directed by the talented Baz Luhrmann. The director is no stranger to the musical film genre. He worked on the film Moulin Rouge, which was filled with catchy songs from past hits. The film definitely gave Luhrmann incredible recognition and he is once again back in the spotlight of music by bringing back the King of Rock n’ Roll. Other stars who will be joining Tom Hanks and Austin Butler are Olivia DeJonge, who will play Priscilla Presley, and Dacre Montgomery from Stranger Things, who will be playing the character of Steve Binder. Taking on the role of Presley is an extremely talk task for Butler. Austin Butler expressed his role as Presley and what it takes to be able to portray such a dynamic character. According to USA Today, Butler stated, “Ultimately it’s the life that’s important. You can impersonate somebody. But it’s to find the life within, to find the heart.”

Elvis Presley paved the way for musical genres and it seems justified for a film to be released to detail his entire life. Although he had fame in the palm of his hands, his own personal struggles from health complications to drugs will be interesting to see on the big screen. With actors such as Tom Hanks in the cast, there is no doubt that the film will be a hit. We might even hear Elvis songs blasting on the top 40 charts again.