Shocking News has sent shockwaves through the global music community as director Baz Luhrmann reveals the existence of a massive, hidden archive of Elvis Presley footage. Following the global success of the 2022 biopic and the recent IMAX release of EPIC: Elvis Presley in Concert, fans are desperate to know: is there more? The answer is not only yes, but the scale of what has been discovered is truly staggering. Behind the scenes, a team of world-class editors and historians has been working on a treasure trove of “lost” material that could change Elvis history forever.
The 59-Hour Discovery and the Peter Jackson Connection
To bring the latest EPIC film to life, Luhrmann’s team uncovered 59 hours of raw, never-before-seen footage from the filming of “That’s the Way It Is” (1970) and “Elvis on Tour” (1972). This wasn’t just old film; it was a chaotic mess of silent clips and fragmented performances. To restore this footage to modern standards, Luhrmann collaborated with Peter Jackson’s team—the same technical geniuses responsible for the groundbreaking Beatles “Get Back” series.
It took an assistant nearly two years just to sync the audio with the video for these performances. While only a fraction of this material made it into the 96-minute IMAX experience, the quality is described as spectacular. Fans are finally seeing Elvis not as a character in a drama, but as a raw, unfiltered performer narrated by his own voice from lost interview tapes recorded over 50 years ago.
The Holy Grail: The 1972 Hampton Roads Concert
For the “true” Elvis fanatics, one piece of footage stands above the rest: the full 1972 concert in Hampton Roads, Virginia. This performance is considered the Holy Grail of Elvis history, and the shocking truth is that the production team actually has the footage. However, despite having the material ready, it was not included in the EPIC film due to the massive costs associated with full-scale restoration.
When asked if he would direct a sequel featuring this legendary show, Baz Luhrmann gave a surprising answer. At 63 years old, the director expressed a desire to “train someone younger” to handle the remaining hours of footage. He hinted that while he might not be at the helm, the project is inevitable, suggesting that future generations will eventually see the full Hampton Roads experience in all its glory.
A New Elvis Musical and the Future of the Legacy
The Shocking News doesn’t stop with cinema. In February 2026, Baz Luhrmann accidentally confirmed that a brand-new Elvis Presley Broadway musical is currently in active development. While he won’t be directing it himself—stating he prefers to “hand it on” to new talent like Alex Timbers—the musical is officially happening.
Luhrmann is currently moving on to a historical drama about Joan of Arc, but his influence on the Elvis legacy remains permanent. With 59 hours of footage still sitting in the vaults and a new stage show on the horizon, it is clear that the world is far from finished with the King. Whether through a sequel to EPIC or a high-energy Broadway production, the hidden history of Elvis Presley is slowly but surely being revealed to the world.