‘Agent Elvis’: The King of Rock ’N’ Roll Fights Supervillains in Netflix’s New Animated Collection

With a Tarantino-like swagger and twisted humorousness that Elvis was apparently identified for, Netflix’s adults-only animated sequence Agent Elvis lands on the streaming titan’s playlist beginning as we speak (Friday, March 17).

Co-created by Elvis’ ex-wife Priscilla Presley and John Eddie in collaboration with Sony Photos Animation, the 10-episode present finds the The King swapping out his pristine sequined jumpsuit for a roaring jetpack after hooking up with a secret spy ring to thwart supervillains’ diabolical plans from ruining the world whereas nonetheless belting out soulful hip-gyrating tunes.

In a flashy, mature-themed sequence that includes a drug-addled masturbating NASA chimp named Scatter, Charles Manson and his hippy zombie gang, Howard Hughes severing dangerous man torsos along with his radioactive urine stream and a martial arts battle with Robert Goulet inside a volcano, it’s instantly obvious that nothing out there may be precisely hallowed floor.

Again within the late Sixties the world was enamored of the “Three Bs”: Batman, Bond and The Beatles. However eclipsing all of these large popular culture icons was the resurgence of that sweet-smiling, velvet-voiced musician and Hollywood film star from Tupelo named Elvis Presley.

Netflix’s Agent Elvis was impressed by Elvis’ historic 1970 meet-and-greet with President Richard Nixon, the place the celebrity singer supplied his companies to the administration of their struggle on medication and anti-American counter-culture figures as a potential agent-at-large.

Agent Elvis showcases the spectacular vocal abilities of Matthew McConaughey as Elvis, Kaitlin Olson as spy operative CeCe Ryder, Johnny Knoxville pretty much as good ol’ boy sidekick Bobby Ray, Don Cheadle as Commander, Tom Kenny as Scatter, Niecy Nash as Elvis’ loyal affiliate Bertie and Priscilla Presley portraying herself. Famend designer John Varvatos customized Elvis’ rockin’ wardrobe seen all through this premiere season, and Oscar nominated animator Robert Valley (Pear Cider & Cigarettes; Love, Loss of life & Robots – Zima Blue / Ice) helped create the King’s 2D look.

So how did a gore-filled animated sequence starring a cartoon Elvis in an alternate timeline preventing crime for a covert authorities company come about and what can followers count on when it erupts on Netflix this week?

We chatted with co-creator John Eddie and showrunner/head author Mike Arnold to find the genesis and creation of this cool over-the-top venture and its many amusing misadventures.

Animation Journal: How did you each turn into hooked up to this retro venture and why was it one thing you needed to take a position your creativity and creativeness into?

John Eddie: I pitched the thought to Priscilla Presley again in 2012 — the germ of the thought, mainly impressed by the well-known photograph of Elvis with Richard Nixon the place he was making an attempt to be a DEA agent. For being animated, it was simply because I’m a giant Elvis fan and each time there’d been a live-action Elvis, and this was means earlier than the Baz Luhrmann film, you may by no means get previous the truth that it wasn’t Elvis Presley doing it. So, we thought animation was one of the simplest ways to visualise Agent Elvis.

Elvis actually did have a monkey named Scatter that he had gotten from a kids’s TV present, and that monkey was identified for lifting up girls’s attire they usually’d convey him out at events and he’d trigger a lot bother. So we took that and blew it up as a lot as we may.

Mike Arnold: After I met John, what was thrilling for me was the notion of such an icon like Elvis after which pair it with a coked-up monkey with a shotgun and going out and having enjoyable with that felt like one thing new that we haven’t seen but. It was thrilling simply to get on board and be part of the crew and actually convey that to life.

What have been a few of your design decisions for the animation type that appear to have origins in superhero comedian books and the aesthetics of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s?

Arnold: We all the time got down to make a cool present, and there’s one thing about that period that actually introduced a specific vibe. If we may intentionally recreate that look it could create not solely a contemporary search for the present but additionally a really cool search for the present. My children are youngsters they usually’re obsessive about the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. We simply thought that vibe could be numerous enjoyable and needed to be as loyal to it as we may.

Eddie: After we first offered the present to Sony Animation, one of many first character designs they confirmed us was from artist Robert Valley, and we by no means appeared wherever else. It was capturing precisely what we had in our minds. In that period’s cinema they have been doing numerous that break up panel factor that comes from comedian books, in order that’s undoubtedly a part of it. We’ve all the time stated that we needed the gravitas of a Christian Bale Batman in an Adam West Batman world. We needed the enjoyable craziness of it however Elvis himself needed to all the time be cool, all the time be a badass.

Your vocal solid, particularly Matthew McConaughey doing Elvis, is outstanding. What was it like working with the actors and the way did McConaughey signal on to Agent Elvis?

Arnold: I can’t converse to why Matthew in the end stated sure to this, however I do know that the thought of being the primary particular person to voice the animated character of Elvis, any person so singular, was very interesting to him. It was a problem. We labored with him and the remainder of the solid, watching them convey a specific taste to every of their characters. Matthew spent numerous time making an attempt to excellent the voice that he felt was proper for Elvis, in what he would name “the music of Elvis’ voice.”

With Kaitlin [Olson] and Don [Cheadle], together with Matthew, they introduced their easy comedy to each episode that we did. They’re really consultants within the comedy area and it was an actual pleasure to look at them work.

Eddie: The attraction of Elvis and Matthew McConaughey clearly gave our present extra weight than simply “that is preventing dangerous guys.” Perhaps there’s one thing right here that’s deeper. We’ve got Kieran Culkin within the solid and when he got here to do his document he goes, “Dude, Elvis preventing Robert Goulet in a volcano? Why wouldn’t I do that present?” Individuals learn the scripts and it was so over-the-top and edgy that they have been interested in this world of Elvis and Matthew hooked up to it.

What was it like collaborating with Priscilla Presley for the distinct look of Elvis and did Netflix have any pointers or limitations as to what materials might be included?

Eddie: Effectively, Priscilla is an actress and was in The Bare Gun films. She was very giving to the writers and to the thought of having the ability to push the boundaries. We’re doing an alternate actuality Elvis and I believe it’s one of many courageous, cool issues about her is that she allow us to push the sting, however she undoubtedly had approval over every little thing. She says Elvis was a giant fan of Monty Python and Mel Brooks and that he would have preferred the present. We really feel good that we’re not doing one thing that will have pissed Elvis off.

What have been essentially the most rewarding or pleasurable points of constructing Agent Elvis?

Arnold: For me, it was watching that extraordinarily proficient solid and what individuals like that may convey to characters and scripts that we already liked, and the way they may elevate merely every little thing we had completed. It’s unattainable to even recount the variety of nice individuals we now have engaged on the present. At each flip they made it much more particular.

Eddie: There’s been so many highs on this journey, from the primary time we pitched the unique thought, to going to Sony, then going to Netflix and Mike approaching board, then the solid coming collectively. I all the time return to this one factor once we offered the present to Sony and had a celebration dinner. Jerry Schilling, who was Elvis’ finest buddy, stood up on the desk and he stated, “Out of all of the initiatives we’ve ever completed, I believe Elvis would have preferred this one the perfect.”

And that all the time saved me going. We have been doing one thing loopy. We’re being edgy. However we’re preserving the spirit of the rock ’n’ roll of Elvis and that’s been a excessive level for me.

Agent Elvis is now storming screens completely on Netflix.