Even if you are unfamiliar with the story of Elvis, you know that his iconic home – Graceland – is located in Memphis, Tennessee. The singer was also born in Mississippi and spent most of his younger years in the south, so you’d think that’s where the 2022 Elvis movie was shot. If you wonder where was Elvis filmed, you might be surprised that it’s quite a distance from the “Hound Dog” singer’s IRL home.
If you remember in March 2020 when Tom Hanks and his wife had to isolate themselves during confinement, you may also recall that it happened while the actor was in Australia. The reason Hanks was overseas was because of the Elvis movie. Elvis was directed by Australian director Baz Luhrmann, who is also responsible for 2013 Gatsby the magnificent and Red Mill! in 2001. Since this was Luhrmann’s production, it makes sense that the Australian director would want to keep things close to home in Australia. However, you might be wondering how the production managed to replicate places like Memphis and even Las Vegas, where Elvis spent much of his later years, all the way to Australia.
Where was Elvis Filmed?
With a bit of movie magic, Luhrmann was able to create these American cities in Queensland, Australia. The northeastern state of Australia was where the whole Elvis the film was shot. Of course, that wasn’t the OG plan for the production. Before lockdown was a factor, Elvis was also to film partly in the south. However, staying in Australia was the easier route. It also gave the production a slight tax break.
Many productions actually shoot in different locations for this reason to save money. That’s why Marvel often chooses to shoot in Atlanta, and many stranger things filming locations are in Georgia as well as. With a massive movie like Elvis, it makes sense that they want to make a few cuts here and there. And the movie ended up shooting most of its scenes in Village Roadshow Studioswhich is also where Aquaman and Thor: Ragnarok also shot some of their scenes.
It certainly wasn’t easy for the production team to recreate iconic locations like Graceland. However, decorator and costume designer Catherine Martin revealed that she was able to visit Graceland with her chief archivist and take meticulous notes. Martin also shared that she salvaged paint chips from inside the house to match the same blue hue for their recreation in Australia. The Graceland you see in the movie was actually built on an old horse paddock and filled with recreated props and furniture to look as authentic to the time as possible.
What Elvis Have the filming locations been recreated for the 2022 film?
Besides Graceland, other iconic Elvis locations have been recreated for the film. Two of them were club practice and Lauderdale Courts, which was Elvis’ apartment complex in Memphis before Graceland. These are all places you can visit in Memphis for an Elvis themed tour. However, if you’re looking to visit where Austin Butler and Hanks used to hang out in the Elvis film, you need to get a passport for it.
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