The Real Reason ‘Elvis’ Producers Cut Austin Butler’s Version of Dolly Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ From the Finished Film

As awards season ramps up, Elvis producer Baz Luhrmann and cinematographer Mandy Walker are speaking about their blockbuster film. Per Elvis‘ official website, Presley’s (Austin Butler) life story is told through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Col. Tom Parker (Hanks). With so many vital elements interwoven throughout, some crucial scenes hit the cutting room floor, including Butler’s version of the legendary Dolly Parton tune, “I Will Always Love You.”

‘Elvis’ was more than just a buzzy biopic about Presley’s life

Elvis dove into the complex dynamic between Presley and his manager, spanning over 20 years. The film details Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America.

Elvis’s extraordinary body of work spans the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. The film contains key moments documenting those eras of his life. These include the making of Presley’s first record, the purchase of Graceland, and his induction into the United States Army. Also, when he met and married Priscilla Presley and the birth of their daughter Lisa Marie.

The real reason ‘Elvis’ producers cut Austin Butler’s version of ‘I Will Always Love You’ from the finished film

Baz Luhrmann’s finished film clocked in at 2 hours and 39 minutes. Therefore, many scenes didn’t make the final edit. One included Austin Butler’s version of the classic Dolly Parton song, “I Will Always Love You.”

However, there is a 4-hour edited version of the film Luhrmann may release in the future per Screen Rant. While it is unclear whether an extended version will contain previously unreleased songs, including the Parton smash, there was one key reason the tune didn’t make the original theatrical release.

Per Variety, Walker and Luhrmann discussed the song and its placement in the movie. It appeared during the last scene between the characters of Elvis and Priscilla after the king of rock and roll dropped off their daughter Lisa Marie on the tarmac at the airport.

“The script was pretty long, but I always wanted another moment where Priscilla came back into his life, and they were friends. In a way, when he walks on that plane and it takes off, we don’t need to see him die. He’s dead,” Luhrmann said.

Luhrmann continued, “Austin sang ‘I Will Always Love You’ in the back of the car. The scene begins with Priscilla saying, ‘It’s a beautiful song,’ and he says, ‘Yeah, Dolly wants me to sing it, but the Colonel…’” However, the moment wouldn’t work for the scene and the film, so it was cut.”

Luhrmann reveals, “When Austin got out of the car, he looked across at Priscilla and said that line, so that’s where it comes from.”

What other scenes could make it to an extended cut of the film?

During an interview with Radio Times, Luhrmann spoke of the scenes he had to leave out of Elvis. “I would have liked to lean more into some other things. There’s so much more,” he said.

“I mean, there’s lots of stuff that I shot like the relationship with the band, I had to pare [that] down. It’s so interesting how the Colonel gets rid of them. The relationship with his first girlfriend, Dixie, you know. And later on, he’s caught in a trap, discombobulated, and doesn’t understand. Someone who’s got such a hole in his heart like Elvis constantly looking and searching for love and finding it on stage but nowhere else.”

Luhrmann also wanted to share Presley’s infamous meeting with President Richard Nixon. “You know, the barbiturates and all of that. Like what happens is he starts doing wackadoo things, like going down to see Nixon. I had it in there for a while, but there comes the point where you can’t have everything in, so I just tried to track the character’s spirit.”