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Kelvin Harrison Jr. has landed the role of B.B. King in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming new Elvis movie.
The Elvis Presley project resumed shooting back in September after star Tom Hanks was hit with the coronavirus in March, prompting production to shutdown for six months.
Hanks is playing Presley’s manager Colonel Tom Parker, while Austin Butler has been tapped to star as King of Rock and Roll. The late musician’s wife Priscilla Presley will be depicted by Olivia DeJonge.
Harrison Jr., who most recently starred in The Photograph, The High Note, and Netflix’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, will take on the role of blues legend B.B. King – aka The King of the Blues (per Deadline).
The film will delve into Presley’s relationship with Parker spanning over 20 years, from the rock and roll icon’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America.
Written by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce, those on producing duties include Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss. Andrew Mittman is executive producing the film.
Earlier this month, Paul McCartney recalled meeting Elvis Presley, calling him one of the coolest people he’s ever had the fortune to meet.
McCartney has previously declared Presley as one of the chief inspirations behind the band’s classic album ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’.
Speaking on The Adam Buxton Podcast, McCartney was quizzed on who he thought the coolest person he ever met was. “My wife, I hope she’s going to listen to this,” he said. “She is very cool!”
In a new interview, Hanks says that “a sea change was due” regarding a shift from traditional cinema releases to some streaming-first options, which have become more prominent due to cinema closures across 2020.
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