If you thought there would be a slew of Elvis Presley needle drops in Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” her upcoming A24 biopic on Priscilla Presley, think again.
Unlike director Baz Luhrmann, who was able to feature hits in his biopic about the King of Rock ‘n Roll in his 2022 biopic “Elvis,” Coppola said she wasn’t allowed to use any of Elvis’ music.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Coppola was turned down by Elvis Presley Enterprises, which is 85% owned by Authentic Brands Group (the Presley family owns the other 15%), a branding company that also owns the rights to Muhammad Ali and Marilyn Monroe’s likeness.
“Priscilla,” which is based on the 1985 memoir Priscilla wrote with Sandra Harmon titled “Elvis and Me,” chronicles her life, which was turned upside down at just 14 years old when she fell for Elvis, who was stationed in Germany with the military at the time.
“Priscilla” is expected to make its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in early September and open in theaters on October 27.