What’s the plot of Priscilla?
The film will follow Priscilla Presley from the age of 15 to 27, chronicling her relationship with and marriage to Elvis.
Who’s in the cast of Priscilla?
Mare of Easttown’s Cailee Spaeny takes the lead as the titular style icon, with Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi joining her as the king of rock and roll.
When will Priscilla be released?
Priscilla will arrive in cinemas on November 3.
Is there a trailer for Priscilla?
Yes! Watch it below.
The details:
The first trailer is utterly ravishing
The first teaser arrived on June 21—and it was certainly worth the wait. Opening with a montage of a teenage Priscilla getting glammed up, it shows us her first meeting with Elvis; her arrival at the imposing gates of Graceland; her posing for provocative polaroids; and looking bewildered in her iconic lace-sleeved wedding dress. The accompanying log line 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 gentle 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.”
A second, longer trailer followed on October 3, giving a greater sense of how, exactly, Coppola will portray the tumultuous relationship between Priscilla and the King. Take the scene in which Elvis instructs Priscilla to dye her hair black and wear more eye make-up—a look that would become her signature aesthetic—despite the fact that she is less than keen on the results.
It’ll act as a much-needed antidote to Elvis
The power of Austin Butler’s barnstorming lead performance in Baz Luhrmann’s sequin-strewn, surreal Elvis was certainly undeniable, but many were disheartened by Olivia DeJonge’s startling lack of screen time as the musical icon’s partner. Enter Sofia Coppola, who is turning her lens on the latter in a sweeping new biopic titled Priscilla.
“Priscilla is such a minor character in [Elvis] so I never felt like I was treading on the same territory,” the auteur told Vogue last October, as she was gearing up to shoot the A24-produced drama. “I think it’ll be interesting to have two completely different interpretations of the same events. There are some aspects of Elvis’s career included [in this film] but it all sort of plays out in the background of their relationship and her developing her identity. I was just so interested in Priscilla’s story and her perspective on what it 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—kind of similarly to Marie Antoinette.”
In fact, Coppola has described the film as “Marie Antoinette at Graceland”
In an interview with Vogue earlier this year, the director noted: “When I was shooting Priscilla there were a lot of moments that reminded me of other movies I’d made. It sort of felt like a culmination of my other work and a real full-circle moment. There were a few moments where I thought, ‘Oh God, am I just repeating myself? Is this too much like Marie Antoinette?’ But I’m self-aware enough to be okay with that now. Identity and the concept of a ‘trophy wife’ have always been interesting to me, and Priscilla let me explore those in a new setting.”
It’s based on Priscilla Presley’s bestselling memoir
Penned by Coppola, the film will draw from Priscilla Presley’s 1985 book Elvis and Me, with the living legend herself serving as an executive producer. “I’ve met with her a few times and she’s been incredibly open,” the director said of her subject. “I want it to feel emotionally authentic. I’ve had her memoir for years and remember reading it a long time ago. A friend of mine was talking about her recently and we got around to discussing the book. I read it again and was really moved by her story. The hardest part of writing the script was just editing down so many incredible details from the memoir. I was interested in trying to imagine what growing up in that world must have looked like through her eyes.”
Priscilla’s focus will be on the titular heroine’s life from age 15 to 27, chronicling her controversial romance with the legendary musician. She famously met the superstar when she was just 14, and he was 24 and in the midst of military service in Germany. The pair tied the knot when she was 21; they had a daughter, Lisa Marie, a year later; and finally separated after six years of marriage.
Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi are perfect for their parts
Even though the film covers more than a decade of Priscilla’s life, it was important to Coppola that “the same actress [play her] at those different stages,” meaning the fresh-faced 25-year-old Cailee Spaeny was the ideal choice. “I think Cailee can pull it off,” she said. “She’s such a strong actress and she also looks very young.” And as for Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi? “I’ve only watched one episode [of the HBO show] with my daughter and it was a little too much,” she admitted. “He also plays a real dick on that show. But he’s so sweet and humble as a person. I thought nobody was gonna look quite like Elvis, but Jacob has that same type of magnetism. He’s so charismatic and girls go crazy around him, so I knew he could pull off playing this type of romantic icon.”
Clues can be found on Sofia Coppola’s Instagram
Instagram content
Since joining Instagram last autumn, the director has offered fans glimpses of Priscilla’s set and her key visual references for the film, from photographs of Priscilla and Elvis’s wedding day and shots of the latter performing, to the glorious ’60s fashion we can expect to see and a tantalizing sneak peek of her leading lady preparing for filming in a candy-colored Memphis hair salon. Keep your eyes peeled for further insights as the release date approaches.
The fashion will, of course, be extraordinary
“I’m so in love with the style of the late ’60s,” Coppola told Vogue. “I’m excited to [be doing] something rooted in that Americana style for the first time. And Priscilla is a quintessential glamour icon. I love that she was always done-up. Even around the house, she and Elvis would never come downstairs until they were both dressed and tailored. They were extremely dedicated to fashion so it’s been fun to dip into an era when everyone still got dressed up.”
It could become a major awards season player in 2024
With the announcement that it’s heading to the big screen on October 27, following a debut at the Venice Film Festival, expect Priscilla to land nominations in a range of categories—from costume and set design to adapted screenplay—once awards season begins. And, who knows? It could even rack up more Oscar nods than Elvis.
