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Earlier this year Priscilla Presley did something very tacky and cold when she attempted to invalidate her daughter Lisa Marie’s will after her death. Priscilla wanted to be a trustee of the Presley estate, but Lisa Marie had amended her will several years ago to take Priscilla out of that role, and make Riley Keough and her brother the main trustee. Riley paid Priscilla a lump sum of $1.4 million to get her to back off, basically, and remains the sole trustee of her mother’s estate. It must have been such an ordeal for Riley Keough to go through–to have her grandma basically sue her when she was still processing her mother’s death. I’m putting that to one side. But I wanted to mention it as context because I think that all of this drama is one reason why some people at the Presley estate has some less than complimentary things to say about Sofia Coppola’s upcoming biopic, called Priscilla. Several nameless “officials” from the estate ran to TMZ to complain about the film after getting an advanced viewing. They accused Priscilla of doing a “money grab” but also took aim at Sofia Coppola.
After recently igniting a bevy of family drama over the fate of her late daughter Lisa Marie Presley‘s trust, Priscilla is once again ruffling feathers when it comes to the Elvis Presley Estate—but this time, it has to do with the new biopic coming out about her life with the late music icon.
Earlier this week, the trailer dropped for the new Sofia Coppola film, which is based on Priscilla’s 1985 biography, Elvis and Me. Shortly after the teaser premiered for the upcoming picture, titled Priscilla, a member of the Elvis Presley Estate spoke out to denounce the film, claiming it was made without their knowledge.
Officials from the estate told TMZ that the film was “produced without the Estate’s knowledge or consent,” and called it a “money grab” on Priscilla’s part.
One official who already saw the film also criticized Coppola’s writing and directing, calling it “horrible,” and stating, “It feels like a college movie.”
“The set designs are just horrific, it’s not what Graceland looks like,” the source added.
But Priscilla, on the other hand, has a much different feeling about the upcoming movie, taking to social media to voice her excitement over the film adaptation of her book.
“I am excited about the interpretation of my book by the masterful Sofia Coppola,” she wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday, along with a shot of the movie poster, starring actors Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny as Elvis and Priscilla.
“[Coppola] has such an extraordinary perspective and I have always been such an admirer of her work,” Priscilla continued in her post. “I’m certain this movie will take everyone on an emotional journey.”
I highly doubt the “officials” from the Presley estate did not know about this movie. The trade papers reported on this movie going into production in September of last year. I do believe that Priscilla wanted to keep these people out of the film. Honestly, it’s a movie about her life, not just Elvis, and Sofia has said that Priscilla is an executive producer, so it’s her call. She’s the foremost expert on her own life, and I don’t think she needs the estate’s consent to tell her own story. I LOLed at the comment about horrific set designs. I feel like set design is something Sofia usually gets right. It is true that Sofia’s movies have an impressionistic kind of vibe–they may have historical anachronisms, but those things reflect the perspective of the main character. That’s why a pair of Converse All-Stars sneak their way into Marie Antoinette even though it takes place in the 18th century. If she isn’t doing a perfectly accurate recreation of what Graceland looked like, she probably has a good reason artistically for doing that.
She may be the most nepo baby to ever nepo baby, but Sofia is a skilled and accomplished writer and director in her own right–only someone with an axe to grind would say otherwise. I can’t imagine these same complaints being lobbed at a male director. I think the folks at the estate are also worried about it being a story from Priscilla’s perspective because Elvis basically groomed her when she was fourteen years old and he was an adult man. I don’t think Sofia is going to shy away from that in this movie, and that’s what the “officials” at the estate are really mad about.
Priscilla is terrible, money grubbing all the time.
Of course she will OK this, attention and money.
Hard. Pass.
Knowing that this movie is based on Priscilla’s autobiography and that she was a producer on it does turn me off from the movie. It’s not going to be Rocketman where we got to see the multiple sides Elton John whether good or bad.
Priscilla put her grand daughter through it and was receiving a ridiculous about of money from the Elvis estate for years before her daughter died. She is definitely shady as f!ck. Let’s not forget that she was basically GIVEN to Elvis. Yes they married when she was 21 and he 32 but they met when she was 14 and he began grooming her. She IS an abused woman and most abused people are in survival mode even those who are wealthy.
I hope this film tells the truth of what Elvis did.
I object to “GIVEN” to Elvis.
She was not trafficked to Elvis nor sold nor beaten.
Read her bio.
I’m not defending dating a 14 y/o.
Read the bios of the teenagers who were groupies. It was wrong, of course but where exactly were the parents of these teenagers?
Priscilla had a military career Father, an officer IIRC.
Her parents could/should have put a stop to it, if she wanted to break off with Elvis.
Many people were married by 16, kids by 18. Men routinely were in the military and served overseas at 16, 17, 18 y/o.
I’m guessing I’ll get kicked for this post. But, JMO.
I stand by my given comment because they got together when she was fourteen years old and he was 21 years old. Her parents allowed this so yes…given.
Her parents literally let her go live with a 21 year old man and be under his care. “Given” is the appropriate description. Regardless of what is was like back then.
To me, Priscilla’s parents groomed her and “gave” her to Elvis. I’m not excusing him, but holding her parents accountable as well.
Just like Pimp Mama K groomed the youngest daughter if not all of her daughters she groomed Kim 2.0 and gave her to Tiger for media attention and storylines.
I haven’t been to Graceland in years, but I remember it to be hilariously tacky, kind of run down and dusty dingy. Of course, 3,000 visitors tramping through every day will take a toll.
And I remember the tour guides being interesting, too. “Hi, my name is Billie Joe Bob Millie and I’m here to introduce you to Elivis’ handball court. On his last day, Elvis played this here piano, went into that there toilet where he shot up and died.”
Sorry, but I think the worst nepo baby to nepo baby is Colin Hanks. He made the season of Dexter that he was in unwatchable.
Priscilla loves the attention of being “The Widow” when in fact she divorced Elvis after only 6 years of marriage.
Yes, I know her story. I know her history w/Elvis, she was 14 when they met, etc.
She was the brains behind his estate financials and I give her credit on that.
Her behavior to Riley after LM passed has put me off her completely.
And that grifter son of hers should get a job. She got that son of hers, who is NO relation toE Elvis at all 1/7 or 1/9 of LM estate by her suing her grieving granddaughter. Awful!
I have no idea who wants to see her bio movie. It is all old news. Hashed and rehashed a million times. TV series, books by everyone, including Elvis cook, half brothers, endless Memphis mafia tales sold to The Enquirer, on and on for decades. Enough already.
And that grifter son of hers should get a job. She got that son of hers, who is NO relation toE Elvis at all 1/7 or 1/9 of LM estate by her suing her grieving granddaughter. Awful!
–Does anyone know how much that amounts to? I also think that was completely unfair. He’s inheriting money from an estate that he’s no claim to.
Yeah that’s the part that is REALLY shady. How does her kid who has no relation to Elvis get to cash in on the estate?
Not a fan of any of the movies directed by the Coppola family (daughter and father inclusive) nor of Priscilla. Hard pass on this film.
I read Elvis and Me back in the day when it was first published as my mother is a huge Elvis fan. I’m also hoping that they touch on the fact that Elvis was an adult and Priscilla was 14 when they met. And didn’t a TV movie with Kurt Russell as Elvis already touch upon this?
Elvis has been dead since 1977, I’m wondering why anyone is still interested. But Priscilla’s move over Lisa Marie’s estate is horrible. I also read on the DM that Priscilla is due to get an ‘allowance’ from the estate for the next 10 years. But the exact amount was redacted from the legal filings.
I remember being SHOCKED when I learned Priscilla’s parents OK’d her going to LIVE with Elvis overseas when she was 14 years old!! Jeez!! And THAT was back in the day when premarital sex still a big no-no!! Supposedly he did not have full sex with her until they were married, but according to Priscilla, they did everything BUT. So not only was she groomed as a young teen, she had no power whatsoever over her life. After marriage, he was a super star who travelled the world and supposedly had an affair w/Ann Margret and whoever else, and she was without an education and totally dependent on him.
I read Elvis & Me years ago and was shocked by it. Her parents totally went along with helping EP the pedo. No wonder they’re slagging this movie, the truth about their “relationship” is pretty crazy
On a positive note, her face is looking much better from the industrial grade silicone that was injected into it years ago. She may be money grubbing, but was certainly a victim of that bogus doctor and of Elvis and her parents when she was a 14 year old girl. No one can deny that.
I’m sure this is not going to make me popular but oh well what can one do.
Priscilla did not try to invalidate the will. She cannot do that it would be in probate for years.
She did not sue Riley. Whether we liked the rules or not one of them was that Priscilla was supposed to be notified when there were changes with the trustees.
That right there put the will in the probate hot seat. Not Priscilla but the lawyer who approved Lisa’s will.
The money is not Elvis’s money it is Lisa’s money and she gave some to her half brother.
And I guess everybody else made money off of Elvis and it still making money off Elvis so why shouldn’t Priscilla…
I could be totally wrong but I remember reading that a few years ago, probably 20/20, Priscilla has to sell off her house and some other real estate to pay off Lisa’s debt so they wouldn’t be taking Graceland and any of her other assets.
If she hadn’t done that then there would been no estate to fight over.
I feel for everyone involved. Priscilla is a mother who lost her daughter, her grandson, and her mother within like 1 to 2 years. Her wanting to be buried with her daughter and her grandson is not odd.
I just don’t think she’s the witch everybody makes her out to be.
I love Sofia Coppola’s work, and I look forward to this movie release. Priscilla’s story is compelling in the era of #metoo, whatever opinion anyone has about her. Elvis Presley was a huge figure to my mother and her sisters growing up, and each of them had similar experiences as Priscilla with brutal sexism as they came up in the mid 20th centuries. I hope the movie Coppola made will help us wake up to the rights of womens again in 2023.