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The upcoming Netflix animated seriesAgent Elvis — in which the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll has a secret side hustle as a superhero who fights evil — is as good a reminder as any, for those of us from Memphis, of the outsized influence that Elvis still has on people who aren’t from here.
And that’s true whether we’re talking about the tens of thousands of people who flock here each year from around the world to commemorate Elvis’ death, or celebrities like Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs. He was brought to Memphis in secret in 2009 for a liver transplant, and during his recuperation period here, as soon as he was strong enough, he made a quiet visit to Sun Studio — the recording facility where Elvis turned out his first thrilling hits.
Agent Elvis on Netflix
Elvis was reportedly obsessed with superheroes and comic books as a boy, and his former wife Priscilla Presley has worked with Netflix to turn that childhood fascination into a Netflix series (coming in March), from Sony Pictures Animation — the same studio behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
The resulting show’s visual style is slick and reminiscent of old Batman cartoons, and Elvis is voiced by another famous son of the South, actor Matthew McConaughey. Priscilla Presley worked to bring this show to fruition along with musician John Eddie, who tweeted on Monday: “That’s Alright Alright Alright Mama! After so many years of being sworn to TCB secrecy I can’t believe I get to finally tell the world what was in all those classified documents … Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey is Agent Elvis!”
Meanwhile, the streaming giant describes the show thus:
In the series, Elvis Presley trades in his white jumpsuit for a jet pack when he is covertly inducted into a secret government spy program to help battle the dark forces that threaten the country he loves — all while holding down his day job as the King Of Rock And Roll.
Other Elvis news
The Netflix show will no doubt add a renewed degree of excitement and interest around Presley, perhaps even introducing him and his music to a new generation of fans. To enjoy more content about Elvis, meanwhile, the new biopic from director Baz Luhrmann starring Austin Butler is now streaming on HBO Max. The movie currently has a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on more than 10,000 verified user ratings.
On a sad note: Tragedy also struck the Presley family in recent days, with the passing of Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie. She was 54 years old, and she’s buried at the Presley mansion Graceland here in Memphis.
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