Elvis Director Baz Luhrmann Signs First-Look Deal With Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Pictures is about to be all shook up by beloved director Baz Luhrmann. On Thursday, reports revealed that Luhrmann has signed a first-look deal with the studio, which was reportedly set in motion by studio co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy. The deal comes just days after Luhrmann’s newest Warner Bros.’ film, Elvis, earned eight nominations at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Austin Butler.

“Baz Luhrmann is one of the most singular filmmakers in modern cinema, and we couldn’t be more excited to announce that Warner Bros. is continuing our association with him,” De Luca and Abdy said in a statement. “The massive success of Elvis, which helped drive audiences of all ages and a whole new generation back to theaters, proves Baz remains ahead of the curve and at the forefront of the pop culture zeitgeist.  He not only continues to evolve the film medium, but he also creates a big screen experience that is truly like no other.  He is a one-of-a-kind artist who has established his own cinematic language inherent in every project he takes on, extending to the music he infuses into his work, and we not only congratulate him on this week’s eight Oscar nominations, but also look forward to our future endeavors together on the big screen.”

Will there be an extended cut of Elvis?

While there’s no telling what projects Luhrmann might create under this new deal, he did hint to ScreenRant last year, that his rumored four-hour cut of Elvis could potentially be released — at a later date.

“Not now, and not probably next year,” Luhrmann explained. “But I don’t close my mind to the idea that in the future, there might be a way of exploring another [cut]. I’ve got to be really careful here, because the moment I put it out there… I tell you what, all my tweets are nothing but, ‘We want the four-hour version! We want the four-hour version!’ I think people are at my gates with pitchforks saying, ‘We want the four-hour version!’ But I don’t close my mind to the idea that there would be an extended cut. Right now, with how long it’s stayed in the theaters and how well it’s done, it’s crossed the line. But it’s done so well on HBO Max over the weekend, so it’s about the parent company going, ‘Wow, it’s really worth spending the money.’”

“Because it isn’t just like I’ve got it, and you just put it out there,” Luhrmann continued. “Every minute in post-production, you have to do visual effects, grading, cutting, refining, and ADR sound. It’s not like it’s just sitting there finished, and I can just push a button and it comes out. You’d have to get back in and work on it. To do an extended cut, you’d be working on it for another four or six months something. I’m not closed to it, but not now. I’m a little bit on the tired side.”

What did you think of Elvis? Are you excited to see what Baz Luhrmann has in store with Warner Bros.? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

h/t: Deadline