On Wednesday Elvis Presley fans across the world celebrated the life of the pop culture phenomenon on the 40th anniversary of his death. But it turns out that they’re going to get to see the iconic musician and actor on the big-screen again in the very near future, as it has been confirmed that Elvis Presley will appear in Blade Runner 2049.
Eagle-eyed Elvis fans will have already briefly spotted Elvis Presley in the trailer for Blade Runner 2049. But now Joel Weinshanker, a majority owner in Elvis Presley Enterprises and the managing director of Graceland Holdings and Graceland Archives, has confirmed that he is actually in it for much longer.
Weinshanker told Variety about Elvis Presley’s extended cameo in Blade Runner 2049, explaining, “You see Elvis for about three seconds in a trailer, but he’s in it for a lot longer.” Those of you that are wondering exactly what Elvis Presley will look like in Blade Runner 2049 can take a look at a screengrab from the trailer below.
While the upcoming sequel to the 1982 neo-noir, sci-fi cult classic is set 32 years into the future, it isn’t too much of a stretch to imagine that Elvis Presley will still be hugely popular at that point. In 2016 alone Elvis Presley made $27 million, making him the fourth highest earning dead celebrity of the year.
Joel Weinshanker has his eyes set on moving Elvis Presley ahead of Arnold Palmer ($40 million), Charles Schulz ($48 million) and Michael Jackson ($825 million), as he declared, “If Forbes gets its numbers right, Elvis will be the no. 1 dead celebrity of 2017.” Elvis Presley’s brief appearance in Blade Runner 2049 should help Weinshanker in his mission, while also reminding the world of the power of the King, who, 40 years after his death, still has an appeal that no other performer can come close to matching.
