Baz Luhrmann says he is ‘too tired’ to work on a four-hour version of his Elvis biopic

Baz Luhrmann says it will be a while before fans get to see a four-hour version of his blockbuster Elvis, which he promised shortly after the film came out in June.

The 59-year-old Australian director explained that the main reason for the wait is that he is too tired to complete the required work.

Luhrmann said his social media were flooded with requests to see the extended version of the film, which has grossed $284 million worldwide ($419.6 million).

He said he was not willing to work on the film again next year or in 2023.

“I’m telling you, all my tweets are nothing but ‘we want the four-hour version, we want the four-hour version,'” he said in an interview with screen frenzy.

“I think there are people with pitchforks in front of my gate.

‘I don’t close my mind to the idea’ [of a four-hour version] in the future… but not now. I’m a little on the tired side.’

Luhrmann explained that the four-hour version of Elvis would require between four and six months of intense technical work.

“It’s not like it’s done, and I can just push a button and it comes out,” he said, adding that a new release will be studio-supported by producers, Warner Bros.

He said a longer version of the film would include more scenes between Elvis, his first girlfriend Dixie, and his band.

Filmed in Queensland, the critically acclaimed Elvis biopic stars Austin Butler as Elvis, Olivia de Jong as his wife Priscilla and Tom Hanks as the king’s infamous manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

The film follows Elvis from childhood poverty to his rise as a global superstar before his untimely death at the age of just 42 in 1977.