Elvis director Baz Luhrmann confirms EPiC new movie has no AI or visual effects

20 February 2026, 13:37

Elvis director Baz Luhrmann confirms EPiC new movie has no AI or visual effects

By Mayer Nissim

Baz Lurha

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Baz Luhrmann's biopic Elvis was a massive hit when it was released in 2022.

Austin Butler gave a stunning performance as The King, but you can't really beat the real thing.

So we're delighted that Baz has returned to the treasure trove of video and audio he found when researching his movie to make a new documentary film EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert.

And in an age of AI and video trickery, he's reassured viewers that what we're seeing is real footage of the real Elvis Presley doing his thing.

"Over a two year period I was able to take that footage... we managed to work with Peter Jackson to bring it back to the life you saw, and then it took two years to get the sound," Luhrmann told Gold.

EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (2025) directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Elvis Presley
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (2025) directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Elvis Presley. Picture: Alamy

"It's Elvis's voice from stage. The band, the rock band, sometimes the orchestrations were damaged and sometimes the sweets were damaged, so we made it more like a dreamscape.

"I think of it as like a dream. As Elvis comes to you and he sings and he tells you this story like never before.

"There's not a frame of AI in it. There's no visual effect. The only visual effect I think is the effect Elvis has on audiences.

EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert releases in the UK with a one-week exclusive IMAX run starting February 20, 2026, before opening in cinemas aross the country on February 27.