Austin Butler's Transformation As Elvis Presley Has The Internet Divided

Nickelodeon kids will know Austin Butler for more than his decade-long relationship with Vanessa Hudgens. Butler was Zippy Brewster on "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" and James Garrett on "Zoey 101," in addition to his number of other recurring roles throughout the years. Not to mention his breakout role as Tex Watson in "Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood," Butler should understand the rose-colored nostalgia better than most people his age.

So, when it comes to playing The King of Rock and Roll, we knew there'd be some backlash from hardcore Elvis Presley fans. Director Baz Luhrmann is no stranger to divisiveness either; it's sort of his thing. People either love or hate Lurhmann's films, there is rarely an in-between. Culture Trip summarized Luhrmann's debut style from his film "Strictly Ballroom" as "humorous and satirical yet sincere and heart-felt," as well as "dazzlingly colorful and somewhat garish," which is fitting for his work as a whole too. Luhrmann's aesthetic is truly unmatched.

Now that audiences are finally getting a glimpse into Luhrmann's take on an Elvis biopic, the internet isn't being shy. And they have a lot to say about Butler's portrayal of The King.

There's no doubt when Austin Butler took up the role of Elvis Presley he knew there would be a lot to live up to. He told The Wrap that part of the reason he took the role was that he wanted to "explore the humanity of somebody who has become the wallpaper of society" and that he knew he had "huge shoes to fill." He added that he worked diligently to sound identical to Elvis when singing.

Even so, when the trailer dropped, fans were divided on whether the biopic could hold up the mantle of The King. The trailer's Twitter thread has a lot of back-and-forth about different elements including Butler's portrayal. One viewer wrote, "Austin Butler looks miscast. Looks like a kid, Elvis looked [like] a grown man," and a different person said, "Nobody wants to see somebody trying to make their career pretending to be someone they will never be able to emulate." Meanwhile, another said, "Please Baz Luhrmann don't over-produce this one," while even more were surprised that they thought it looked good. One excited fan said the movie was "worth waiting for." Someone else added, "Straight up chills!!! Everything about this trailer is pure perfection!!!"

Variety called Butler's resemblance to Elvis "uncanny" and we have to agree. The movie might not be every fan's biopic dream, but it's been almost 10 years since Luhrmann announced this project. We'll just have to see what the reception is after the film is finally released on June 24.