What Has Elvis’ Estate Said About Sofia Coppola’s ‘Priscilla’?
In 2023, Sofia Coppola will release the second Elvis movie of the decade, Priscilla, and the musician’s estate is not happy about it. The film follows the timeline laid out by Priscilla Presley in her 1985 memoir Elvis and Me. While Priscilla is an executive producer on the film, some members of his estate have spoken ill of the movie. Here’s what they’ve said about the film.
Elvis’ estate is not happy about Sofia Coppola’s 2023 movie ‘Priscilla’
After a teaser trailer for Priscilla dropped in the summer of 2023, an anonymous member of Elvis’ estate made it clear that they were not on board for the film. After asserting that the estate had no idea Coppola was making the film, they called her writing and directing “horrible.” They have refused to let Coppola use Elvis’ music in the film.
“It feels like a college movie,” the source told TMZ. “The set designs are just horrific, it’s not what Graceland looks like.”
They insinuated that the film was a cash grab, but it seems more likely that the insults are coming from a place of concern. Priscilla has always defended Elvis and described the love she continues to feel for him. Still, her memoir does not shy away from his darker sides. By the looks of the trailer, neither will Coppola’s film.
A 24-year-old Elvis met and pursued Priscilla when she was just 14. He convinced her to move to Graceland with him when she was still in high school and isolated her from the outside world while she was there. He exercised rigid control over her behavior and appearance, from the shade of her hair to the thickness of her eyeliner. The film will look through Priscilla’s eyes at her complicated and sometimes tragic first love.
For some viewers, myself included, the protestations of Elvis’ estate backfired. They’ve only made me more interested in seeing the movie.
Sofia Coppola said ‘Priscilla’ is not for Elvis’ estate or his fans
Coppola acknowledged some of the backlash against the film, and she doesn’t seem bothered by it. They’re not the target audience.
“The Elvis estate is not happy,” she told Financial Times. “I remember Priscilla’s manager saying, ‘The Elvis fans are not going to like certain things.’ And I was like, ‘I’m not making it for them.'”
Priscilla Presley has expressed her happiness with the film
Though the film has its detractors in Elvis’ estate, Priscilla has expressed her happiness with it.
“I am excited about the interpretation of my book by the masterful Sofia Coppola,” she wrote on Instagram. “She has such an extraordinary perspective and I have always been such an admirer of her work. I’m certain this movie will take everyone on an emotional journey.”
After it premiered at the Venice Film Festival, a misty-eyed Priscilla watched as the audience exploded in applause.
“It’s very difficult to sit and watch a film about you, about your life, about your love,” she said, per Variety. “Sofia did an amazing job. She did her homework, we spoke a couple of times, and I really put everything out for her that I could.”
