“Priscilla” Trailer Finds Priscilla Presley Taking Center Stage in Sofia Coppola’s Biopic

A24 has given us our first peek at Sofia Coppola’s upcoming Priscilla, which, while under a minute long, lures you in with the promise of seeing an oft-told story—the rise of one of the 20th century’s most transformative artists—from the perspective of a person with the most intimate vantage possible.

Coppola’s film is based on Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir “Elvis and Me” and will offer viewers a much different viewpoint into Elvis’s rise by shifting the focus to the most important woman in his life. The task of playing Priscilla falls to the talented Cailee Spaeny (Mare of Easttown, Bad Times at the El Royale), with the no less daunting task of playing Elvis, especially after Austin Butler’s Oscar-nominated turn, residing with Jacob Elordi (Euphoria, The Kissing Booth).

Any Sofia Coppola film is worth the ticket price, but it will be especially interesting to see this talented filmmaker take on two icons, especially on the heels of Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 biopic, which was squarely centered on Butler’s magnetic performance as the King of Rock ‘n Roll. Needless to say, Coppola is a much different kind of filmmaker, and channeling her talents through Priscilla’s lens into a tumultuous time in music and American history holds a ton of promise.

Coppola adapted the book herself, and she tapped longtime collaborators like costume designer Stacey Battat, editor Sarah Flack, and cinematographer Phillipe Le Sourd to help her realize her vision. She’s also clearly found a home with A24, too. Priscilla comes after her previous two collaborations with the studio, her 2020 film On The Rocks and 2013’s The Bling Ring. She’s currently working on an adaptation of Edith Wharton’s “The Custom of the Country” with the studio.

Here’s the official synopsis for Priscilla:

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 vulnerable 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.

Check out the trailer below. Priscilla hits theaters in October:

For more on films from A24, check these out:

“You Hurt My Feelings” Cinematographer Jeffrey Waldron on Re-Teaming With Nicole Holofcener

Michelle Yeoh Makes History & “Everything Everywhere All At Once” Wins Big

Featured image: Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny in Priscilla. Courtesy A24.