What if Elvis became a secretive government agent? What kind of top-secret missions would he be a part of? Would any of these globe-trotting missions do anything to sway his legendary bravado? These are the questions that Netflix hopes to answer with theirs new adult animated series, Agent Elvis (2023). Co-created by Elvis’s wife, Priscilla Presleythe series stars Matthew McConaughey as a super-spy version of The King himself in a wacky comedic series that can only be described as Archer (2009-) starring Elvis Presley.
Though it would almost certainly be considered pure blasphemy to say that the King of Rock and Roll has ever dipped in popularity, Elvis Presley has been the subject of a pretty impressive recurrence over the last year. Much of that can be attributed to the Oscar-nominated Elvis (2022) from director Baz Luhrmannwhich made a big splash this past awards season thanks to a stellar breakout performance from Austin Butler. Notable previous films to feature a version of The King include Elvis & Nixon (2016), which starred Michael Shannon and told a story so absurd that it had to be true. The film tells the actually incredibly true story of Elvis’s meeting with President Richard Nixonwhich resulted in Elvis (sort of) becoming an unofficial government operative. It’s a fascinating piece of American history that has become the subject of many a tall tale, particularly given that Elvis didn’t really have any government authority and Nixon viewed the visit as more of a PR stunt than anything else.
Agent Elvis appears to be taking that idea and turning it up to eleven. It’s a wacky concept that still pales in comparison to the larger-than-life persona for which the legendary musician is so well-known. To find out more about what’s in store for this genuinely absurd piece of historical fiction, read below to find out everything we know so far about Agent Elvis.
Editor’s Note: This article was last updated on March 2 with the release date and trailer.
When and Where Is Agent Elvis Releasing?
Netflix will become the streaming home of Agent Elvis when it arrives on March 17, 2023. Adult animated comedies have become a popular favorite for streaming service subscribers and almost every major streaming service has at least one under its belt. Hulu has Solar Opposites (2020-), HBO Max has Smiling Friends (2020-), and Netflix has its fair share of similar content. Agent Elvis will likely be yet another promising member of its already impressive catalog. All ten planned episodes of the series are expected to release on the same day. And of course, once it’s out, you’ll be able to watch it with this link:
Watch on Netflix
Watch the Agent Elvis Trailers
The debut teaser trailer for Agent Elvis premiered on Monday, February 6, 2023, bringing with it flashy visuals and even a few familiar events from Elvis’s real-life history. Within the first couple of seconds of the roughly minute-long trailer, we see a couple of key events that should be familiar to any Elvis fan. These include the filming of his legendary Christmas comeback special, driving to his residency home of Las Vegas, and having that historic meeting with Richard Nixon that we mentioned earlier. It doesn’t take long for things to get wacky as we see Elvis heading into outer space and planting an American flag on, you guessed it, the Moon. We soon see Elvis embarking on more traditional spy quests, like exchanging fisticuffs with a few goons, fighting off ninjas with his partner, and flying around with his very own jetpack. The action-packed trailer officially concludes with Elvis conducting an interrogation before his prisoner is unceremoniously shot by Elvis’s pet ape, Scatter. If you think a rock and roll musicia n having a chimpanzee as a pet is just a bit too ridiculous, just know that Scatter was actually a real animal companion to the non-animated Elvis (although we can reasonably assume that Scatter never killed anybody, let alone was involved in government interrogations) .
The official trailer for Agent Elvis presents some more of the absurd cartoon high jinks that this satirical version of Elvis Presley will get into, even hinting at how exactly Elvis went from world-renowned rock star to tactical super spy. Also revealed in the second look is the rest of the impressive supporting cast of the series, which includes Don Cheadle (Space Jam: A New Legacy), Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Johnny Knoxville (Jackass), Niecy Nash (Reno 911!), Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants), and even Priscilla Presley seemingly playing herself as Elvis’s beloved romantic partner.
Who’s In the Agent Elvis Cast?
The Oscar-winning star of Dallas Buyers ClubMatthew McConaughey will be alright, alright, alrighting all throughout Agent Elvis as the titular hero. This will be McConaughey’s first ever role in an animated television series, but he’s had some experience in the animated art form with films like Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) and both sing films. Also attached to the main supporting cast are Don Cheadle, Kaitlin Olson, Johnny Knoxville, Niecy Nash, and Tom Kenny. Priscilla Presley will also be starring as herself in addition to co-creating the series.
Rounding out the recently announced voice talent are Jason Mantzoukas (Invincible), Asif Ali (WandaVision), Ed Helms (The Office), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Kieran Culkin (Succession), Fred Armisen (Documentary Now!), Chris Elliott (Salvage Hunters: The Restorers), George Clinton (Trolls 2: World Tour), Craig Robinson (The Office), Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz), Ego Nwodim (Saturday Night Live), Gary Cole (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby), Jamie Costa (The Cowboy & The Samurai), Tara Strong (Loki), Dee Bradley Baker (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), Jim Meskimen (How the Grinch Stole Christmas). Carlos Alazraqui (Fairly Odd Parents), Cree Summer (Voltron: Legendary Defender), Ilia Volok (Gemini Man), Tony Cavalero (The Righteous Gemstones), Michael-Leon Wooley (AJ and the Queen), and Eric Bauza (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).
Who’s Making Agent Elvis?
With Priscilla Presley being involved, it seems safe to say that the show will balance its absurd content and tone while still staying true to her late husband. Priscilla is also far from a stranger to the world of comedy, as she’s perhaps best known for starring alongside Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun trilogy. Presley is credited with co-creating the series alongside musician John Eddiewho is making his showrunning debut with Agent Elvis. Eddie will be co-showrunning with Archer writer Mike Arnold and the series will feature a story by Entergalactic filmmaker Fletcher Moules. Fletcher will also be directing the series along with Devil May Care (2021) director Gary Ye. Rounding out the rest of the crew are art director Chris Thompson (Kaleidoscope), editor Josué Sánchez (Diente de Leche), character designer Robert Valley (Love, Death & Robots), costume designer John Varvatos (Unknown), and composer Tyler Bates (Guardians of the Galaxy). Executive producers credited for the show include Priscilla Presley, Mike Arnold, Antonio Canobbio, Ben Kalina, Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Marc Rosenand Jamie Salter.
What’s the Plot of Agent Elvis?
The official logline for Agent Elvis reads as follows:
Elvis trades in his jumpsuit for a jetpack when he joins a secret government spy program to help battle the dark forces that threaten the country.
We also have a slightly more detailed synopsis for the series that goes like this:
Elvis Presley trades in his jumpsuit for a jet pack when he is covertly induced into a secret government spy program to battle the dark forces that threaten the country he loves – all while holding down his day job as the King Of Rock And Roll.
Apart from Elvis’s trusty sidekick Scatter, Priscilla Presley, and President Richard “Tricky Dick” Nixon, we don’t know if any other figures from Elvis’s life will be present, but it would be pretty funny if one of those “dark forces” that the synopsis mentions will end up being none other than shady manager Colonel Tom Parker himself.