No blarney: Irish actor to star as Elvis

CBS cast a wide net in looking for the star of its upcoming miniseries "Elvis," going so far as to hold open auditions last month for those who would be the King.

In the end, the network and the mini-series' producers went all the way to Ireland to find their Elvis Presley. "Bend It Like Beckham" star Jonathan Rhys-Meyers will take the role of Presley in the four-hour miniseries, tentatively scheduled for May.

Rhys-Meyers, whose casting was first reported in Variety and which CBS confirmed, joins Randy Quaid ("Category 6," "Kingpin") and Rose McGowan ("Charmed") in the cast. Quaid will play Presley's manager, Col. Tom Parker, while McGowan will take on the role of Presley's "Viva Las Vegas" co-star, Ann-Margret.

Variety also reports that "The Practice" Emmy winner Camryn Manheim will play Presley's mother, Gladys, in the miniseries.

"Elvis" will tell the story of Presley's rise to superstardom and the impact he had on music and popular culture in the 1950s and '60s. The project has the blessing of the Presley estate, which will allow CBS to use master recordings of the King's songs in the miniseries.

Rhys-Meyers, a native of Dublin who was born about three weeks before Presley's death in 1977, has played a rock star before, in the 1998 feature "Velvet Goldmine." His other credits include Showtime's Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated film "The Lion in Winter" and the features "Alexander" and "Vanity Fair."