Orion: The Man Who Would Be King

Viewpoints

World Premiere

U.K. | 89 MINUTES | English |

ORION: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING

Female Director(s), Documentary, Music, Female Screenwriter(s)
August 16, 1977. All of America was stunned by the news of Elvis Presley's untimely passing. Some went so far as to believe that it couldn't be true. Somehow he had faked his death. For the executives at Sun Records that fantasy became an opportunity in the form of Orion, a mysterious masked performer with the voice of The King. First appearing in 1979, Orion recorded 11 albums and performed live to packed houses and rapturous fans around the nation. But who was the man behind the mask?

In this stranger-than-fiction true story, Jeanie Finlay exposes the incredible life of an unknown singer plucked from obscurity and thrust into the spotlight with the complicity of a manipulative music industry and a public fan base unwilling to let The King go. Resonant in its themes of identity, fate, and the double-edged nature of fame, Orion is a stylish mystery story that finally gives a name and a face to a gifted artist who had been unjustly deprived of both.

—Cara Cusumano

CAST & CREDITS

Directed by Jeanie Finlay

Jeanie Finlay is a British artist and filmmaker whose credits include Pantomime, The Great Hip Hop Hoax, Sound It Out, Goth Cruise and Teenland. Her work is known for its innovation in audience engagement and distribution.
Director
Jeanie Finlay
Screenwriter
Jeanie Finlay
Producer
Jeanie Finlay, Dewi Gregory
Editor
Lucas Roche
Associate Producer
Stewart Copeland, Charles Kennedy
Cinematographer
Stewart Copeland, Steven Sheil, Mark Bushnell, Roger Knott Fayle
Executive Producer
Al Morrow, Suzanne Alizart, Kate Townsend, Nick Fraser, Hannah Thomas, Richard Holmes, John Tobin, Andy Copping, Alexander Preston
Composer
Graham Langley
Researcher
Marissa Keating
Producer of Marketing and Distribution
Sally Hodgson
Cast
Jimmy Ellis, Shelby Singleton, Jim Ellis Jr., Nannette Uselton Clark, Nancy Crowson, Nick Scott Petta

CONTACTS

Print Source
Jeanie Finlay
Glimmer Films
Nottingham, NG1 3AL
jeanie@jeaniefinlay.com
Sales Contact
Jason Ishikawa
Cinetic Media
New York, NY 10004
Phone: 808 277 6195
jason@cineticmedia.com
Press Contact
Adam Kersh
Fusion Entertainment
New York, NY 10011
Phone: 917 771 7021
adam@fusion-entertainment.com
Press Contact
Gerilyn Shur
Brigade Marketing
New York, 10001
Phone: 917 551 5832
gerilyn@brigademarketing.com