‘Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley’ Documentary Lands Netflix Release Date and Trailer

Just a few months after we first revealed that Netflix would be delving into the history of one of the most iconic rock’ n’ roll stars in history, Netflix has officially unveiled the upcoming hour-and-a-half-long documentary, which is set to hit the streaming service globally on November 13th, 2024.

As we first reported on August 12th, Netflix is teaming up with esteemed documentary filmmaker Jason Hehir, best known for his role on ESPN’s The Last Dance docu-series, which later arrived on Netflix globally. Little Room Films is behind the new documentary (run by Hehir), which is owned by Peter Chernin’s parent company. Production commenced on the doc back in 2023. 

Speaking briefly about the upcoming documentary in a podcast, Hehir said, “I’ve been fascinated with that guy my whole life because I know there’s a human being underneath that two-dimensional facade we see culturally. It’s always been an interest of mine.”

“He had one chance to show the world he was still the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” reads the official synopsis, adding, “Discover the story behind Elvis Presley’s triumphant ’68 comeback special.”

The movie features some fantastic upscaled and remastered archive footage as well as interviews with Baz Luhrmann (who directed the recently released Elvis feature film) and Elvis’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley in addition to critics, music historians, and musical colleagues. 

Graceland, the official website of Elvis Presley, also posted about the documentary coming to Netflix, suggesting that it has the full blessing and endorsement of his estate.

The reaction to the trailer, seen embedded above and released on October 17th, has been largely positive, although one commenter wished Netflix would go above and beyond the doc, saying, “Netflix needs to upload the entire 68′ comeback special unedited. No documentary style.”

The documentary is rated TV-MA and comes at a busy time for Netflix documentaries. In late October, Netflix is set to release its documentary on Martha Stewart titled Martha, with other documentaries and docu-series coming up, including Investigation Alien (Nov 8), The Only Girl in the Orchestra (Dec 4), Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World (Dec 11), and Julia’s Stepping Stones (Dec 18).

For more on what’s coming up on Netflix throughout November 2024, keep it locked here on What’s on Netflix. If you want to add the new Elvis Presley documentary to your Netflix queue, use this link. Will you be watching? Let us know in the comments.