(Updated 10/16/2023)
It is difficult to imagine the life of a figure like Priscilla Presley. Raised on Air Force bases thanks to her stepfather's regular shuffle of new postings, Priscilla met Elvis when she was only 14. He was 24 at the time, living in Germany while working through his own military service. The two quickly began a relationship — the precise nature of which remains somewhat contested — and eventually married nearly 8 years later.
PRISCILLA, from writer/director Sofia Coppola, explores the not-exactly storybook life of the pop princess who lived the dream of many Elvis fans — and saw it
When Does Priscilla Come Out?
A24 will release PRISCILLA in movie theatres on November 3.
Watch the Evocative Priscilla Trailer
"I want a life of my own." This trailer is a good introduction to Priscilla's story, and to the cast assembled by Coppola for the movie. It positions the movie as almost a companion piece to Coppola's movie MARIE ANTOINETTE — no surprise that the filmmaker herself has mentioned some points in common with the two movies.
Who's in the Cast of Priscilla?
The two core cast members in PRISCILLA are Cailee Spaeny (VICE, "Mare of Easttown")as Priscilla and Jacob Elordi ("Euphoria," SALTBURN) as Elvis Presley. Spaeny in particular gets challenging material as she plays Priscilla across the span of more than a decade, and through significant personal downturns.
Coppola chose Elordi after having coffee with him in Manhattan. "All the girls in the room just turned to him, they gravitated," Coppola told THR. “I just felt like, ‘Yeah, he has that kind of charisma that I imagine Elvis had.’"
They're joined by Dagmara Domińczyk as Ann Beaulieu, Priscilla's mother; Raine Monroe Boland and Emily Mitchell as Lisa Marie Presley as a child; and Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, Luke Humphrey, Dan Beirne, Olivia Barrett, Dan Abramovici, R Austin Ball, and Evan Annisette.
Does Priscilla Feature Elvis Music?
PRISCILLA does not have a license to use songs by Elvis Presley. In a way this makes sense as so much of the story is about Priscilla being physically and emotionally separated from Elvis. This isn't his story, it's hers.
Priscilla Is Based on a Memoir
The movie's origin lies in the memoir "Elvis and Me" by Priscilla Presley. (Who is also an executive producer on the movie, and who has been actively involved in developing the film.)
Coppola told Vogue, "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. I was supposed to start this big Edith Wharton project that was gonna take five months to shoot and felt really daunting. I came up against a few hurdles, so I just decided to pivot to making one film with one idea. I was just so interested in Priscilla’s story and her perspective on what it all 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—kinda similar to Marie Antoinette.
PRISCILLA opens on November 3.
All images courtesy of A24.