- Priscilla will be released in November 2023.
- Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny play Elvis and Priscilla.
- Sofia Coppola wrote, directed, and produced the film.
The interest around the Presleys isn’t waning whatsoever. Sofia Coppola is taking on Priscilla and Elvis Presley’s relationship in her new film Priscilla. The first trailer for the film was released on June 21 and has that signature Sofia Coppola style. The official trailer dropped on October 3, a month before the film’s release. A young Priscilla gets wrapped up in Elvis’ world and begins to mold herself to fit his version of her.
Priscilla is going to be one of the most-talked-about movies of the fall season. From the cast to how Priscilla feels about the film, HollywoodLife has rounded up everything you need to know about the Priscilla Presley movie.
Priscilla Movie Release Date
Priscilla will hit theaters on November 3, 2023. The movie had its world premiere at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival in September 2023. Cailee won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for her performance.
Priscilla Movie Cast
First and foremost, Priscilla was directed by Sofia Coppola. She also wrote and produced the film. Sofia is known for directing films like Marie Antoinette, The Bling Ring, Lost In Translation, and The Virgin Suicides.
Cailee Spaeny plays Priscilla Presley in the film. She had her first major role in 2018’s Pacific Uprising. She’s also appeared in Bad Times at the El Royale, On The Basis of Sex, and The Craft: Legacy. Cailee has also starred in the TV series Devs and Mare of Easttown.
Sofia opened up about why Cailee was the right actress to play young Priscilla. “The character goes from the age of 15 to 27 over the course of the film, so she had to be able to act and age across a big span of time,” the director told Vogue. “It was really important for me to have the same actress playing Priscilla at those different stages of her life, and I think Cailee can pull it off. She’s such a strong actress, and she also looks very young.”
Jacob Elordi plays Elvis Presley in Priscilla. Jacob is best known for playing Nate Jacobs in HBO’s hit series Euphoria. The Australian actor also starred in all 3 Kissing Booth movies. He’s also set to star in the film On Swift Horses with Daisy Edgar-Jones and Will Poulter. Jacob is the latest actor to take on the King of Rock and Roll onscreen. Austin Butler recently became an Oscar nominee for his performance in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis.
Sofia admitted that she’s only watched one episode of Euphoria and said Jacob is nothing like his character. “I thought nobody was gonna look quite like Elvis, but Jacob has that same type of magnetism,” Sofia told Vogue. “He’s so charismatic, and girls go crazy around him, so I knew he could pull off playing this type of romantic icon.”
The cast of Priscilla is small. Dagmara Dominczyk stars as Priscilla’s mother, Ann. Dagmara recently finished her 4-season run as Karolina in the critically-acclaimed HBO series Succession.
What Is The Priscilla Movie About?
The official synopsis for Priscilla reads: “When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend. Through Priscilla’s eyes, Sofia Coppola tells the unseen side of a great American myth in Elvis and Priscilla’s long courtship and turbulent marriage, from a German army base to his dream-world estate at Graceland, in this deeply felt and ravishingly detailed portrait of love, fantasy, and fame.”
The movie is based on Priscilla’s 1985 memoir, Elvis and Me. Sofia had read Priscilla’s memoir years ago before reading it again recently, which prompted her to want to bring it to the big screen. “I was just so interested in Priscilla’s story and her perspective on what it all felt like to grow up as a teenager in Graceland. She was going through all the stages of young womanhood in such an amplified world—kinda similar to Marie Antoinette,” she said in her Vogue interview.
Unlike Elvis, Priscilla will be the “real focus” of the film. “There are some aspects of Elvis’s career included, but it all sort of plays out in the background of their relationship and her developing her identity. I loved how Baz [Luhrmann] approached his story in a very collage-y way, but I’m glad it didn’t go into much of Priscilla’s story because now I can really dive deep,” she continued.
Does Priscilla Presley Approve Of The Film?
Yes, Priscilla does approve of the film. She’s an executive producer. Priscilla shared the poster the same day the first trailer was released and revealed her reaction to the film.
“I am excited about the interpretation of my book by the masterful Sofia Coppola,” Priscilla wrote on Instagram. “She has such an extraordinary perspective and I have always been such an admirer of her work. I’m certain this movie will take everyone on an emotional journey.”
Priscilla was in attendance during the film’s premiere at the Venice International Film Festival. Priscilla teared up during the film’s standing ovation. “It’s very difficult to sit and watch a film about you and about your life and about your love,” she told reporters in a press conference. “I think Sofia did an amazing job, she did her homework. We spoke a couple of times, and I really put everything out for her that I could.”
Sofia Coppola gives an emotional Priscilla Presley a hug following the world premiere of Priscilla in Venice. pic.twitter.com/xquqgNKm4Y
— Alex Ritman (@alexritman) September 4, 2023
While Priscilla has given her blessing, Elvis Presley’s estate officials have not. Officials reportedly blasted Sofia’s writing and directing as “horrible” when speaking to TMZ. “It feels like a college movie. The set designs are just horrific, it’s not what Graceland looks like,” the source said.