Elvis Director Baz Luhrmann Teases New Concert Film

Luhrmann confirms previously-unseen Elvis concert footage will see the light of day.

By Jenna Anderson

It has been nearly two years since Elvis debuted in theaters, bringing to life Baz Luhrmann's one-of-a-kind biopic about the life of Elvis Presley. The Oscar-nominated film has continued to be part of the public conversation, especially amid speculation that Luhrmann might release a four-hour extended cut of the film. While the timeline for that has yet to be confirmed, Luhrmann just revealed another project that might be on the horizon. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Luhrmann confirmed plans to cut together a concert film of previously-unseen footage of the real-life Presley. The footage, which was originally filmed for the 1970 documentary That's the Way It Is and the 1972 documentary Elvis on Tour, had languished in the archives for decades, until it was unearthed by Luhrmann in the prep for Elvis.

"The fans really want to know if all that footage we found in the vaults is going to become a concert film and I'm here to say I think it's gonna happen," Luhrmann revealed.

Will There be an Extended Cut of Elvis?

As Luhrmann previously explained to ScreenRant, a longer cut of Elvis could eventually arrive — but after he takes a small break from the project. He has also voiced a desire to potential turn the Elvis extended cut into a television series, similarly to how his extended version of Australia became the Hulu miniseries Faraway Downs.

"Not now, and not probably next year," Luhrmann explained. "But I don't close my mind to the idea that in the future, there might be a way of exploring another [cut]. I've got to be really careful here, because the moment I put it out there... I tell you what, all my tweets are nothing but, 'We want the four-hour version! We want the four-hour version!' I think people are at my gates with pitchforks saying, 'We want the four-hour version!' But I don't close my mind to the idea that there would be an extended cut. Right now, with how long it's stayed in the theaters and how well it's done, it's crossed the line. But it's done so well on HBO Max over the weekend, so it's about the parent company going, 'Wow, it's really worth spending the money.'"

"Because it isn't just like I've got it, and you just put it out there," Luhrmann continued. "Every minute in post-production, you have to do visual effects, grading, cutting, refining, and ADR sound. It's not like it's just sitting there finished, and I can just push a button and it comes out. You'd have to get back in and work on it. To do an extended cut, you'd be working on it for another four or six months something. I'm not closed to it, but not now. I'm a little bit on the tired side."

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