Reinventing Elvis: The ’68 Comeback, the new feature-length documentary about the making of the television special that revitalized Elvis Presley’s career and influenced music, television, and pop culture for decades to come, will play on more than 800 movie screens worldwide beginning July 30 for special one-day-only presentations.
Reinventing Elvis: The ’68 Comeback, distributed theatrically by Rubey Entertainment, will be accompanied by special cinema-only material, including an introduction by legendary TV director Steve Binder, who brought the special to the screen, and additional scenes that aren’t in the final film, in addition to the debut of a music video by Latin music sensation Maffio, offering a salsa twist on Presley’s ever-popular Blue Suede Shoes.
The one-day-only cinematic presentation comes two weeks before the film makes its global streaming debut on Paramount+.
Produced by acclaimed music and film producer Spencer Proffer and his company Meteor 17, Reinventing Elvis: The ’68 Comeback is directed by noted documentary filmmaker John Scheinfeld and executive produced by Bruce Gilmer and Steve Binder.
Premiering days before the anniversary of Presley’s death, Reinventing Elvis: The ’68 Comeback reveals what really happened behind the scenes of this mesmerizing hour of television. When it aired on the night of December 3, 1968, the special became the most-watched television event of the year, and nearly half of the entire TV-watching audience tuned in to see Elvis Presley, clad in an iconic black leather suit, deliver some of the greatest performances of his life, reinvigorating his career and changing the pop-culture landscape forever.
Told from the unique perspective of Emmy Award-winning television director Steve Binder, Reinventing Elvis: The ’68 Comeback features interviews with Elvis experts and recollections from those who attended the special in-person, as well as all-new versions of iconic Elvis hits interpreted by contemporary musicians, including three-time Grammy winner Darius Rucker, Latin Grammy winner Maffio and America’s Got Talent finalist Drake Milligan, who previously starred in CMT’s hit series Sun Records, also streaming on Paramount+.
“The world is filled with stories about Elvis and his historic 1968 Comeback Special, but no one has ever told this story the way only I can tell it — because I was there for every moment of it,” said Binder. “I’m so proud of this film and am really excited that a legion of Elvis fans worldwide is going to have an opportunity to first experience it in theatres.”
Film producer Spencer Proffer added, “I’m proud to continue my decades-long professional and personal association with Steve Binder — one of the most innovative creators in entertainment. Steve broke molds in the relentless pursuit of making electrifying, bar-raising magic on the television screen. The story of how he and Elvis came together to create such an unforgettable hour of entertainment is one we always knew would make an amazing movie, so we’re enormously excited that it will be debuting in movie theatres.”
Documentary director John Scheinfeld (The U.S. vs. John Lennon, Who is Harry Nilsson …?, What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat and Tears) added, “Elvis had an amazing career in the movies — he really was a movie star, and a star in every sense of the word. So, it’s incredibly fitting that our film will first be available to fans on the big screen, before coming to streaming, where audiences worldwide will be able to discover this amazing story that changed more than Elvis Presley — it changed the trajectory of popular culture.”
Following its release in theatres, Reinventing Elvis: The ’68 Comeback will premiere exclusively on Paramount+ Tuesday, August 15, in the U.S. and Canada and internationally on Wednesday, August 16, in the U.K., Latin America, Brazil, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy.
Meteor 17 www.meteor17.com