‘We’re Going to Fly in This Movie’: ‘Elvis’ Cinematographer Mandy Walker on Shooting the King

During his lifetime, Elvis Presley dominated popular culture. Baz Luhrmann’s new biopic “Elvis” — starring Austin Butler as Presley and Tom Hanks as his manager Colonel Tom Parker — focuses on key incidents to illuminate the performer’s influence: Sun Records, the Army, his marriage, a string of movie musicals, the 1968 “Comeback Special,” and his Las Vegas residency all come back to life with the help of cinematographer Mandy Walker.

This is Walker’s fourth collaboration with Luhrmann, after Australia and two Chanel shorts; a native of Melbourne, she was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2021. Walker was the DP on the 2020 version of “Mulan,” and is currently shooting another animation-to-live-action adapation for Disney: “Snow White.” Walker spoke with IndieWire about “dress rehearsals” for The King, flying cameras, and whether or not she can say anything about “Snow White” yet.