Rufus Sewell to play Elvis Presley's father in biopic

Actor Rufus Sewell will be essaying the role of Elvis Presley's father Vernon Presley in filmmaker Baz Luhrmann's much-anticipated musical drama on the life of the legendary singer.

Austin Butler is playing the king of rock and roll in the film, titled "Elvis", which also feature actor Tom Hanks as Presley's manger, Colonel Tom Parker.

The movie will follow the veteran manager and the young singer, who came from dirt-poor origins to become an icon who changed the course of music history, reported Variety.

Besides Sewell, the film also star Maggie Gyllenhaal as Presley's mother Gladys.

Luhrmann has co-written the Warner Bros project with Craig Pearce.

The film is the director's first project since 2013's Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer "The Great Gatsby".

Sewell most recently starred as Sid Luft opposite Renee Zellweger in "Judy" and with Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman in "The Father".