See Matthew McConaughey As A Super-Spy Elvis In First Look At New Series
Matthew McConaughey takes on the role of Elvis in Netflix's bizarre upcoming cartoon Agent Elvis.
Matthew McConaughey has led a diverse career, with legendary romantic comedies, adventure films, animated kids’ movies, and harrowing prestige television under his belt. Now the Academy Award winning actor will succeed Austin Butler in the role of another legend. McConaughey voices Elvis Presley in the trailer for the Netflix animated series Agent Elvis.
The trailer portrays Elvis in a stylized alternate history in which the famed rock star moonlights as a secret agent. Matthew McConaughey offers a sultry and ambitious voice to the music icon. The series looks to glorify Elvis in unique, if not preposterous ways, splashing audiences with plenty of profanity and gore along the way.
Agent Elvis was co-created by John Eddie and Elvis’s former wife, Priscilla Presley. Produced in conjunction with the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse studio, Sony Pictures Animation, the Netflix animated series reimagines the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll as a super spy. The trailer sees Matthew McConaughey’s Elvis train and execute a series of international espionage missions in the name of the United States government.
Netflix released the trailer on Twitter with the caption, “Elvis Presley always dreamed of being a superhero — now, Priscilla Presley is making his dream a reality!” While the studio and its creators have painted the series as a tribute to Elvis, many fans interpreted the Matthew McConaughey-led series as a mockery.
Set to debut on Netflix in March, Agent Elvis comes right off the heels of the tragic death of Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. The singer/songwriter passed away on January 12, 2023 after suffering cardiac arrest in her Calabasas home. The trailer, full of Matthew McConaughey one-liners and full throttle action, is set against the backdrop of tragedy and Priscilla Presley’s legal battle over changes that cut her out of Lisa Marie Presley’s will.
The series also comes less than a year after the release of Elvis, Baz Luhrman’s extravagant biopic about the musician starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. Elvis was nominated for eight Academy Awards, and will compete for the coveted golden statues at the Oscars ceremony on March 12, 2023. One of those nominations went to Butler, who was universally praised for his portrayal of Elivs, leaving big shoes for Matthew McConaughey to fill.
Matthew McConaughey has an Oscar of his own after winning in 2014 for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club. He followed that win up with Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his performance in HBO’s True Detective. Now McConaughey will continue his voice acting career following his performance as the ambitious Buster Moon in Illumination’s Sing.
Even with the voice talent of Matthew McConaughey at the center, Agent Elvis may have an uphill battle to climb. Its public perception is off to a rocky start; in addition to the many fans responding to the trailer on Twitter with criticisms of the show, many more used the thread to chide Netflix for canceling a number of beloved shows. Netflix may have some work to do before fans are alright, alright, alright with the new series.
