Officials from Elvis Presley’s estate are criticizing the upcoming “Priscilla” biopic – based off Priscilla Presley’s famous memoir, “Elvis and Me” – for being a “money grab.”
The Sofia Coppola-directed film, which stars Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny, was reportedly “produced without the Estate’s knowledge or consent,” estate officials claimed to TMZ.
“It feels like a college movie. The set designs are just horrific, it’s not what Graceland looks like,” one official told the outlet.
The officials further slammed Coppola – who both wrote and directed the upcoming movie – for doing an overall “horrible” job.
However, Priscilla, 78, disagreed with those unnamed officials and had nothing but positive things to say about Coppola and the film.
“I am very excited to see the interpretation of my book by the masterful Sofia Coppola,” she told TMZ.
“She has such an extraordinary perspective and I have always been such an admirer of her work. I’m certain this movie will take everyone on an emotional journey.”
Yet an Elvis estate insider doubled down on claims that Priscilla is just in it for the money.
“Everyone here was shocked when we read Priscilla’s release, she’s talking as if she hasn’t seen the movie and seen what a piece of garbage it is,” the source told Pvnew. “This is just another example of Priscilla squeezing every dollar out of her relationship with Elvis and not caring about the ramifications.”
Pvnew has reached out to Elvis’ estate, Priscilla, A24 Films and Coppola for comment.
The movie – set to premiere sometime in October – follows Priscilla and Elvis’ love story, from meeting when she was just a teenager to their “long courtship and turbulent marriage,” according to the film’s description.
Viewers first got a glimpse of the upcoming movie in a trailer that dropped Wednesday, which included a look at the re-creation of Priscilla’s wedding dress for their 1967 wedding and Elvis leaving for the US Army.
Scenes also showcased the famous couple’s life behind closed doors at Graceland in Memphis, Tenn.
Elvis’ estate has been making headlines over the past few months after Priscilla and her granddaughter, Riley Keough, went through a legal battle over the late Lisa Marie Presley’s trust. The only child of Elvis and Priscilla died at the age of 54 in January after suffering cardiac arrest.
After much back and forth, Priscilla and Keough (Lisa Marie’s daughter) eventually came to a settlement. Keough, 34, agreed to pay Priscilla a $1 million lump-sum payment in addition to $400,000 for her legal fees.
Keough was also made the official beneficiary of the trust.
