Following the announcement of director Sofia Coppola’s next film Priscilla, a biopic about the famous Presleys, Deadline senior film reporter Justin Kroll shared that Justin Bieber was allegedly considered to play Elvis. According to Kroll’s post, however, the singer reportedly passed on the part. Euphoria star Jacob Elordi has since been cast, alongside The Craft: Legacy‘s Cailee Spaeny playing Priscilla Presley.
While Jacob beat out a numbers of actors who tested for role of Elvis, sources say Sofia did take a shot at a certain musician to see if they had any interest in role (they ultimately passed) pic.twitter.com/QeOZyAnu7s
— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) September 12, 2022
While Bieber’s reason for seemingly declining the part is still unknown, the pop star previously postponed his remaining Justice tour dates earlier this month. The world tour had 70 more dates and would continue into 2023. Bieber cited health concerns, as he has been vocal about his experience with Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome, which has caused paralysis in his face.
“As the result of this illness, I was not able to complete the North America leg of the Justice Tour. After resting end consulting with doctors, family and team, I went to Europe in an effort to continue with the tour,” Bieber wrote. “After getting off stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realized that I needed to make my health a priority right now. So I’m going to take a break from touring for the time being.”
Justin Bieber’s Justice World Tour has officially been suspended due to health concerns. Here is the official announcement: pic.twitter.com/fyb8qwjTM5
— Justin Bieber Crew (@JBCrewdotcom) September 6, 2022
Bieber has also documented the affects of his Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome throughout this year. In June, prior to the tour’s full postponement, he took to Instagram to explain why he was only moving a few North American dates at the time. “As you can see, this eye is not blinking,” he shared. “I can’t smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move. So there’s full paralysis on the side of my face.”
Still, by July, he had hopes that he would be able to resume the rest of the tour. While fans might not be able to see him in their city (or on the silver screen), that hasn’t stopped Bieber from still trying to bring the music to them. He has released singles throughout 2022, including “Honest” featuring Don Toliver and collaborating with Kehlani on “Up At Night.”