Elvis to be brought back to life with AI for new show

A new immersive Elvis Presley show will open in central London later this year, bringing the king of rock 'n' roll back to life with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), organisers said Thursday.

"Elvis Evolution", featuring a life-size digital Elvis performing on stage, is designed to be the first of a series of shows in cities including Las Vegas, Tokyo and Berlin.

British company Layered Reality put together the spectacle using AI, holographic projections, augmented reality, live theatre and multi-sensory effects to celebrate the singer's life and legacy.

It promises previously unseen performances created through access to thousands of personal photos and home-video archive after striking a deal with Authentic Brands Group, which owns his estate.

Layered Reality chief executive Andrew McGuinness called the show "a next-generation tribute to the musical legend that is Elvis Presley".

"Elvis maintains superstar status globally and people around the world no longer want to sit there and passively receive entertainment -- they want to be a part of it," he added.

The show, which is scheduled to open in November, will use music, technology and storytelling to chart Elvis's rise to fame and his cultural significance to the 1950s and 1960s.

Marc Rosen, head of entertainment at Authentic Brands Group, said it would give fans "a new, immersive way of experiencing Elvis Presley's life and legacy".

Presley -- one of the best-selling music artists of all time -- died aged 42 at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee in 1977.

"Elvis Evolution" comes after the success of Swedish supergroup ABBA's "ABBA Voyage" digital avatar show, which opened at a purpose-built venue in east London in May 2022.

Bloomberg reported in September last year that it has sold more than 1.5 million tickets, generating more than $150 million.