Friday, January 16, 2015

Alex Pettyfer, Others Round Out "Elvis & Nixon"

The Hollywood Reporter has it that Alex Pettyfer, Johnny Knoxville, Tracy Letts, Colin Hanks, and singer Sky Ferreira have all joined the long gestating bio drama Elvis & Nixon.


The movie will highlight a December 21st, 1970 visit that Elvis Presley (Michael Shannon) paid to President Richard M. Nixon (Kevin Spacey) during his administration. The meeting was initiated by Presley, who wrote Nixon a six-page letter requesting a visit and suggesting that he be made a "Federal Agent-at-Large" in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. Presley brought with him family photos and a Colt 45 pistol as a personal gift to the president.

Shannon and Spacey have filled the lead roles, replacing Eric Bana and Danny Houston who were on board for the project before it was repackaged. 

Pettyfer will play Jerry Schilling, Elvis’ best friend, and Knoxville will play Elvis’ head of security.  Hanks is set to play Egil Krogh, Nixon’s aide, Ferreira. who will be making her film debut .will play Schilling’s love interest. Letts’ role is unknown at this time.

American Horror Story and X-Men: Days of Future Past favorite Evan Peters will play Dwight Chapin, The White House aide who helped organize the meeting after Elvis showed up on the White House lawn one morning.

Luke Wilson will play one of Presley’s “Memphis Mafia”, and Kevin Connolly will take on the role of a limo driver.

Actor Cary Elwes wrote the screenplay with Joey Sagal and Hanala Sagal from which Liza Johnson's directing.

Elwes had been planning to make his directorial debut with the project--but that changed. Cassian Elwes and Holly Wiersma will produce.

The film does not have a release date yet.

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