Lisa Marie Presley asked Sofia Coppola to change Elvis' portrayal in Priscilla before her death

Sofia Coppola's new film Priscilla paints a complicated portrait of the romance between Elvis Presley and his wife, Priscilla Presley. But for the couple's only daughter, the late Lisa Marie Presley, the script didn't do her father justice.

According to emails obtained by Variety, Lisa Marie reached out to Coppola twice in September 2022, about a month before filming began, to express her concerns about an early draft of the screenplay and its depiction of the King of Rock and Roll. Lisa Marie, who died earlier this year at 54, reportedly said of Coppola's Priscilla script, "My father only comes across as a predator and manipulative."

She added, "As his daughter, I don't read this and see any of my father in this character. I don't read this and see my mother's perspective of my father. I read this and see your shockingly vengeful and contemptuous perspective and I don't understand why?"

EW has reached out to representatives for Lisa Marie and her daughter, Riley Keough, the sole trustee of her estate, for comment. A representative for Coppola declined to comment.

A rep for the film's distributor, A24, declined to comment to EW beyond Coppola's response published by Variety, in which the filmmaker reportedly told Lisa Marie: "I hope that when you see the final film you will feel differently, and understand I'm taking great care in honoring your mother, while also presenting your father with sensitivity and complexity."

Coppola wrote and directed Priscilla, adapting Priscilla Presley's 1985 memoir Elvis and Me. The film (in theaters now) stars Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla and Jacob Elordi as Elvis, chronicling the couple's tumultuous relationship, which began when she was 14 and he was 24.

Priscilla Presley seems to be on board with Coppola's vision, as she's an executive producer on the project and has repeatedly praised the film. (Reps for Priscilla didn't immediately respond to request for comment.)

According to Variety, however, Lisa Marie's emails questioned her mother's judgment. "I am worried that my mother isn't seeing the nuance here or realizing the way in which Elvis will be perceived when this movie comes out," she reportedly wrote. "I feel protective over my mother who has spent her whole life elevating my father's legacy. I am worried she doesn't understand the intentions behind this film or the outcome it will have."

Coppola recently told EW during a roundtable discussion that her priority for the movie was "approaching it with sensitivity."

"It was really important that I felt that Priscilla felt that her story was represented in a way that was true to her," the filmmaker said. "When Priscilla first saw the final movie, the first thing she said was, 'Cailee really — that's how I felt.' She really expressed that. And she couldn't believe how Jacob's voice, she said it just sounded just so much like Elvis, so that was so gratifying to hear that from her."

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