We’re all shook up!
There’s an Elvis Presley biopic in the works, and the actor playing the legendary crooner has just been announced.
Austin Butler, 27, who launched his career as a Nickelodeon and Disney Channel star, will bring Elvis to life in the upcoming film — and the resemblance is uncanny.
Director Baz Luhrmann broke the news on Instagram, posting a picture of Elvis and asking his fans to swipe right to reveal the actor he picked for the role.
Butler's longtime girlfriend, Vanessa Hudgens, celebrated the announcement with an Instagram post in which she wrote she is "overrr the f------ mooooooooonnnnn."
The as-yet-untitled biopic will follow the singer’s journey from a young, struggling musician to global superstar, Deadline reports.
The movie will also explore Elvis’ relationship with his controversial manager of two decades, Colonel Tom Parker, who will be played by none other than Tom Hanks.
Younger fans might remember Butler from his appearances on shows including “Hannah Montana,” “Zoey 101” and the teen drama “Switched at Birth.”
More recently, he made his Broadway debut in “The Iceman Cometh,” and he’ll also star alongside Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” out later this month.
Several actors were in the running to play Elvis in the upcoming biopic, including Harry Styles, Ansel Elgort and Miles Teller, according to Deadline.
It looks like Butler could definitely channel Elvis’ signature brooding stare, and he seems to have the singing chops for the role. He hasn’t sung very often on screen, but he gave fans a hint of his smooth vocals in a 2012 clip from the show “Are You There, Chelsea?”
He can sing, he’s a great actor and he’s basically the spitting image of a young, handsome Elvis ... it looks like Butler will make a great King of Rock and Roll!