Baz Luhrmann in Talks to Direct Elvis Presley Biopic for Warner Bros.

Baz Luhrmann may be moving on from Gatsby to 'The King.'

According to The Wrap, the Oscar-nominated director is in talks with Warner Bros. to helm its upcoming, untitled Elvis Presley biopic, written by FIFTY SHADES OF GREY's Kelly Marcel. Luhrmann has reportedly been in negotations with the studio for "several weeks," though a deal has yet to be solidified.

Per the report:

"Marcel is hard at work writing an original screenplay about Elvis Presley, the hip-gyrating King of Rock and Roll, that will not be based on any pre-existing material. While the project is believed to be a biopic, it's unclear which periods of Presley's life would be depicted in the film."

Born in Sydney, Australia, Luhrmann has captured popular and critical imagination internationally with a diverse range of award-winning projects in film, opera, theatre, and music. Luhrmann is one of Australia's most recognizable creative forces.

His most recent film is the extraordinary 3-D adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire and Joel Edgerton.

The director's earlier films include the ambitious epic Australia (2008), starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, the Oscar-winning Moulin Rouge! (2001) featuring Kidman and Ewan McGregor, his boldly luminous version of William Shakespeare'sRomeo + Juliet (1996), starring DiCaprio and Claire Danes, and the celebrated Strictly Ballroom(1992), starring Paul Mercurio and Tara Morice.

The soundtrack albums for Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!, executive produced by Luhrmann, have sold more than 13 million copies worldwide. Moulin Rouge! won three Golden Globes and received eight Academy Award nominations, with Catherine Martin winning two for Art Direction and Costume Design.

Australia won four AFI Awards. It is the second highest-grossing Australian film of all time. The phenomenally successful Strictly Ballroom was originally conceived by Luhrmann as a short play in 1984 when he was a student at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). He produced an extended version of the play when he formed the experimental ensemble Six Years Old under the auspices of the Sydney Theatre Company in 1988. Catherine Martin was one of the company's designers. Strictly Ballroom drew on Luhrmann's personal experiences of the world of competitive ballroom dancing and was acclaimed by critics and public alike.

He later directed and co-wrote the screenplay (with collaborator Craig Pearce) for the film version ofStrictly Ballroom. It premiered in the 1992 Cannes Film Festival where it became an overnight success. The film, which also starred Barry Otto and Bill Hunter, won the Prix de la Jeunesse award and went on to win eight AFI Awards.

In 1997, Luhrmann married Catherine Martin, his longtime creative collaborator. They have two children, Lillian and William. The same year they founded Bazmark, an innovative multi-media company with the motto "A life lived in fear is a life half lived".

Baz Luhrmann is one of Australia's most imaginative and strikingly original opera directors. His signature production of Puccini'sLa Boheme for Opera Australia won considerable acclaim in 1990 when it starred Cheryl Barker and David Hobson.

His later production of La Bohemeon Broadway in 2002 was lauded by critics for its sensuality and glorious production design. It was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Revival and Best Director for Luhrmann. It won the Tony Award for Best Scenic Design.

Previous opera productions include Lake Lost, which won a Victorian Green Room Award for Best Director in 1988, and Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream. It received a Victorian Green Room Award for Best Director, a Sydney Theatre Critics' Circle award for Best Director and the Critic's Prize at the Edinburgh Festival in 2003.

Photo by Genevieve Rafter Keddy

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