Agent Elvis - What We Know So Far

Ever since the heyday of animators like Ralph Bakshi, cartoons have been reimagined as postmodern slices of life that explored gritty realism and subject matter that a company like Disney would never dream of touching. In recent years, Netflix has made stellar strides in continuing this tradition by distributing both adult-oriented anime, as well as the animated anthology "Love, Death, & Robots" for mature audiences. Programs like "BoJack Horseman" and anime such as "Castlevania" helped pave the way, and the streamer's lineup continues to grow in this subgenre.

Apart from being for grown-ups, these animated shows were also rooted in unique ideas, such as the 2019 announcement of "Agent King," which has now been retitled "Agent Elvis." The cartoon tells the story of Elvis Presley reimagined as an international spy who fights crime, gathers intelligence, and still manages to find the time to be Elvis the performer. The series is finally coming to the streamer after a long, nearly four-year wait, and looks to be just as irreverent and skillfully drawn as most of the other adult animated series Netflix has produced. Here is everything we know so far.

What would become "Agent Elvis" was first announced as a series for Netflix in the summer of 2019. The show underwent a prolonged production period, with creator Priscilla Presley tweeting in October 2021, "We are still working on Agent King diligently. It should be released in 2022!" Despite Presley's reassurance, 2022 came and went and the program was never released, but things are finally looking up in 2023.

"Agent Elvis" will premiere on Netflix on Friday, March 17, 2023. It is not yet known if the season will all drop at once or be broken into multiple parts. The streamer sometimes chooses this model for some releases, as seen with "Stranger Things 4" and Season 4 of "You," which were broken into two halves. It has been confirmed that the comedy will contain 10 episodes for its debut season that will be available upon its premiere.

"Agent Elvis" is firmly rooted in satirical comedy, and builds upon the mythology that has been built around the King of Rock and Roll since his death in 1977. According to the official summary of the show, "Elvis Presley trades in his jumpsuit for a jet pack when he is covertly inducted 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." This spy program is known as The Central Bureau, or TCB — a reference to the real Elvis' "Taking Care of Business" motto as well as his backing band, which shared the same initials.

Not much else is known about the specifics of the plot or if each episode will tell a stand-alone story or if the series will take on a more serialized storytelling format etc. If it is anything like Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" biopic from 2022, fans of the influential singer and performer should be in store for an Elvis reimagining for a whole new generation.

If the plot of "Agent Elvis" sounds amusingly intriguing, the cast of voice actors is both diverse and wide-ranging across the entertainment industry. The voice of the musical king himself is provided by Matthew McConaughey, who is joined by numerous other well-known actors. In addition to McConaughey, Niecy Nash will voice the character of Bertie, an independent and acerbic mother figure to Presley, in addition to "Jackass" star Johnny Knoxville on board as Bobby Ray, Elvis' best friend and devoted advisor.

The rest of the cast is rounded out by Kaitlin Olson who plays CeCe Ryder, a secret agent who frequently butts heads with Presley due to her cultural beliefs that clash with his. Don Cheadle voices the character of The Commander – the master of the spy program in which Elvis finds himself involved. Also voicing one of the supporting players is Tom Kenney, who stars as Scatter, a chimpanzee who provides comic relief just by his constant chain-smoking cigarettes and the fact that he once worked for NASA. Another surprise cast member also serves as one of the program's creators.

Priscilla Presley is credited as a co-creator of "Agent Elvis" and she also voices a version of herself within the animated comedy. Presley, who was married to Elvis from 1967 to 1973, co-created the show with singer-songwriter John Eddie. Mike Arnold serves as the comedy's showrunner along with numerous executive producers that include Presley, Eddie, and main voice cast member Matthew McConaughey. Arnold is known for his previous work on the adult-themed animated series "Archer."

Speaking about the show on her Twitter account, Presley shared, "So excited for Agent Elvis to come out on March 17th on @netflix and so proud to be a part of this amazing cast!" This also happens to be Presley's very first role as a voice actor. John Eddie stated on his Facebook account in 2019 (via NJ Arts) that he had been working on the show for years but felt afraid to tell people in case it would never happen. Over three years later, his vision is finally coming to the small screen.

The official teaser for "Agent Elvis" was released on February 6, 2023, and offered fans the first opportunity of hearing Matthew McConaughey voicing the King of Rock and Roll. With the release of the official trailer, interested viewers can now get a feel for what the atmosphere of the comedy will be like. The clip starts off with Elvis performing in Las Vegas including one of his signature tunes, "Viva Las Vegas." We then see Presley become acquainted with Don Cheadle's Commander and join the spy program.

The rest of the promo is quick cuts showing the singer on some of his numerous action-filled adventures gathering intelligence and fighting crime. We are also introduced to the many supporting characters including Niecy Nash, Johnny Knoxville, and Tom Kenney's representative roles, all of which showcase wickedly funny dialogue. The show is definitely for adults as both strong language and some gore is included in the clip. If the trailer is anything to go by, fans of the late performer are in for a comical surprise when the show lands on Netflix on March 17.