Baz Luhrmann's upcoming musical drama Elvis has added several prominent Australian actors to its cast. Richard Roxburgh, Helen Thomson, David Wenham, and Dacre Montgomery have joined an ensemble that includes the previously announced Tom Hanks, Austin Butler and Olivia DeJonge.

Roxburgh, who worked with Luhrmann on Moulin Rouge!, will portray Elvis’s father, Vernon Presley. Rufus Sewell, who was initially cast in the role, had to drop out when production was delayed due to coronavirus. Thomson, an award-winning theater actress who also appeared in Top of the Lake: China Girl, will play Elvis’s mother, Gladys Presley, replacing Maggie Gyllenhaal who was originally signed to play the role but had to leave the project due to other commitments.

Luhrmann said in a statement:

Elvis was surrounded by an extraordinary array of rich personalities, and we are very fortunate to pull together a tremendous ensemble to tell this story.

It’s exciting to unite some of Australia’s finest actors, from longtime collaborators from ‘Moulin Rouge!,’ ‘Australia’ and ‘The Great Gatsby’ like Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham and Kate Mulvany, to exciting new faces such as Dacre Montgomery, Helen Thomson, Luke Bracey, Natasha Bassett and many more.

With the world as it is right now, our entire company is grateful that we can join together in this creative venture to bring employment and opportunity in front of and behind the camera, and to the community at large.


Elvis will explore the life and music of Evlis Presley (Butler) through his complicated relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Hanks). It was a partnership that spanned 20 years, as Presley’s rise to unprecedented stardom contributed to America’s evolving cultural landscape. Central to that journey is Elvis’s love affair with Priscilla Presley (DeJonge).