Sofia Coppola reveals Elvis Presley’s estate declined permission to use his music in ‘Priscilla’ film
Sofia Coppola’s upcoming film about Priscilla Presley will not feature any of Elvis’ music, it has been confirmed.
The upcoming movie, titled Priscilla, is written and directed by Coppola for A24, and is set for release later this year.
Now, it has been announced that the project – centred around the life of Elvis’ wife – will not include any songs from the late singer’s discography, after his estate turned down the request.
Elvis Presley Enterprises is mostly owned by American brand management company, Authentic Brands Group, who possess 85 per cent of the estate. The remaining 15 per cent are owned by the late musician’s surviving family members.
Now, in a new statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter, the film’s director has confirmed that she reached out to the estate to request permission to use a selection of his songs in her upcoming project, but had her offer rejected. “They don’t like projects that they haven’t originated, and they’re protective of their brand,” she told the outlet.
She also revealed that those working on Priscilla didn’t let the denied request put a dampener on the project, but rather just “made us be more creative”.
Now, the Priscilla soundtrack features an array of classic songs, performed by Thomas Mars – Coppola’s husband and frontman of the band Phoenix.
Set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival, the movie is an adaptation of Priscilla Presley’s chart-topping memoir Elvis And Me, which she released in 1985. American actor Cailee Spaeny (Pacific Rim Uprising, Bad Times at the El Royale) will play Priscilla, while Jacob Elordi (The Kissing Booth, Euphoria) will star as Elvis.
Following the launch of the film’s teaser trailer back in June, the Elvis Presley estate issued a statement claiming they were unaware that the film was being made.
An estate official also criticised the trailer, saying that the film “looked like a college movie” in an interview with TMZ. In response, Priscilla took to her social media page to praise the project and show her support for Coppola.
“I am excited about the interpretation of my book by the masterful Sofia Coppola, she wrote. “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 is not the first film to be made about the Presley family. Just last year, Baz Luhrmann shared his biopic about the singer, which saw Austin Butler take on the title role and win Best Actor at the 2023 Golden Globes.
In other news, it was reported earlier today (August 24) that Priscilla Presley had opened up about her last moments with late daughter, Lisa Marie, in a new interview.
The singer-songwriter, and daughter of Elvis and Priscilla, died on January 12 aged 54. Last month, a new coroner’s report confirmed that she had passed away due to a “sequelae of a small bowel obstruction”.
“We had just gotten there, you go down all these stairs. I tripped a little bit because I had these high heels on, and she started laughing so hard. I started laughing. We hadn’t even had a drink yet,” she recalled. “[Lisa Marie] goes, ‘Oh my God, Mom, you can’t even have a drink’. … It was fun, a fun memory.”
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Liberty Dunworth
NME
