Baz Luhrmann reveals production is not starting up again quite yet on his Elvis Presley biopic

While Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson were released from an Australian hospital after testing positive for coronavirus, director Baz Luhrmann revealed they won’t resume production anytime soon.

Hanks, 63, was filming Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis Presley biopic in Australia when he revealed last week that he and his wife, 63, had tested positive for the virus.

While the actors are on the road to recovery, director Luhrmann posted on update on Twitter Thursday, revealing filming is still on hold.

‘I’m sure it will come as no surprise that this is not the moment to be resuming production on the film,’ Lurhmann said, cutting to the chase, as it were.

‘Please know this is in no way a reflection on our commitment to make this movie here in Queensland,’ Luhrmann added.

‘In fact, we are not even taking our sets down, simply locking up the creative space over the next few days,’ the filmmaker said.

The filmmaker added that he spoke to the Australian premier, Annastacia Palaszcuk, and they all agreed it wasn’t the right time for filming.

‘We all agree that right now this is the right time for people all over the world, from all walks of life, to be at home, indoors, with their loved ones (washing our hands five times a day),’ he added.

‘All going well, we have a passionate conviction to be back here on the Gold Coast, picking up where we left off as soon as the time is right,’ the filmmaker concluded. 

Luhrmann’s film follows the iconic life of Elvis Presley, with Austin Butler playing Elvis and Hanks playing his longtime manager Colonel Tom Parker.

The cast also includes Rufus Sewell and Maggie Gyllenhaal as The King’s parents, Vernon and Gladys, with Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla Presley.

The film is currently slated for release on October 1, 2021, though with production currently shut down, the date may change at some point. 

After Hanks tested positive for the coronavirus, Luhrmann sent out a thank you message to ‘doctors and medical experts from Queensland Health.’

He added they, ‘gave us tremendous support and most importantly, very clear instructions as to how to go about putting our company and the community’s health first.’

He added that the ‘entire production is following these instructions to a T,’ adding that he has put himself into isolation ‘for the next 10 days.’