the duration of Elvis lasts 159 minutes, but the director Baz Luhrmann confirmed that there has been a cut of the feature film for four hours. The filmmaker spoke to Radio Times about it, adding that there would also be a scene in this version where Elvis meets Richard Nixon.
Here are the words of Baz Luhrmann:
I can see I have a four hour version, but I had to bring it down to two and a half hours. I would have liked to add a few more things, because there is so much more. A lot of material was shot, such as the relationship between Elvis and the band, but I had to streamline, all because the presence of Colonel Parker was very important.
The four-hour version also includes more insight into Elvis’ relationship with his first girlfriend, Dixie, and a scene that chronicles the music icon’s addiction to barbiturates. And then on the scene with Nixon, Baz Luhrmann said:
This happened when he started doing crazy things like meeting Nixon. I’ve been holding that scene for a while, but you get to a point where you can’t keep it all in. I tried to keep the spirit of the character.
Remember that Elvis will hit theaters on June 22.
Source: Lega Nerd
