Eric Bana’s CV is nothing if not varied. He was a hard-as-nails soldier in Black Hawk Down, a nerdy scientist/furious green giant in Hulk, a vengeful Romulan in Star Trek, a hardened assassin in Hanna, a Mossad agent in Munich and a fighting man in a skirt in Troy. All this from a guy with a background in stand-up comedy.
Never one to balk at a challenge, Bana is now going to try his hand at being Elvis, for the directorial debut of Cary Elwes (Liar Liar, The Princess Bride, Saw), which will see Bana’s Elvis visiting (possibly) Danny Huston’s Nixon at the White House, for a meeting that actually took place in December 1970, before all of that pesky Watergate business kicked off. Apparently, Presley requested a meeting with Nixon, suggesting that he be appointed Nixon’s agent at large with the Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Bureau. Hmm. Presley turned up with gifts, including a pistol, which the Secret Service must have just loved.
Huston is still in discussions, so don’t bet your shirt on him just yet, though Bana will also be producing. Elwes co-wrote the script with Hanala and Joey Sagal and is expected to start shooting in LA and Louisiana before too long.
Sources: THR and Variety.
