As Maria mentioned in Celebrity Social Media late last week, there was rumour going around that Kaia Gerber and Austin Butler are engaged. The rumour started at DeuxMoi and a tip about Austin proposing in April and the couple trying to keep it low-key. TMZ followed up with a report dismissing the claim with a source saying that it's not true. And then DeuxMoi posted an update saying that their own sources are saying it’s not true… but leaving room for the possibility that it’ll happen soon.

 

All we’re left with here, then, is a nothingburger. Right now they’re not engaged. At some point in the future they could be engaged, which you could say of any couple. 

 

As for Austin, a year ago the culture was just coming into his Elvis era. He, of course, had been living with Elvis for three years by that point but the film had just premiered in Cannes, where his performance was unanimously praised, kicking off the Oscar campaign that would result in an actual Oscar nomination, and several other award wins, including the Golden Globe and the BAFTA.

To build on the momentum of Elvis, though, in terms of career, Austin has to move past the role. Because otherwise that’s the only way he’ll be seen, which in the long run would be a detriment to him as an actor. The post-Elvis era, then, begins soon. Austin will star in the upcoming Apple series Masters of the Air, co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. This is big budget TV, reportedly in the rage of $200-$250 million, and it was said to be ready for release as early as January since they were in post-production for all of 2022. We’ve yet to see a trailer though and Apple has yet to announce when, exactly, they would be rolling it out though but I suspect that has less to do with the quality of the series than everybody trying to figure out how they’re going to schedule content with the ongoing writers’ strike and whatever may or may not happen with the actors and their negotiations. 

 

On the film side Austin has Dune 2 coming in the fall, one of the most highly anticipated movie events of the year. He plays the villain, Feyd-Rautha and there’s no trace of Elvis here. As Dave Bautista, Austin’s brother in the story, told USA Today back in February, “I don't know who this guy was, but it's not Austin Butler. It's not Elvis. His voice is different, his look is different. Everything about his demeanor is terrifying.”

Dune 2 is going to be huge, if not commercially than culturally. Because this cast! I mean, it’s already enough with Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya. But then also Florence Pugh and Austin Butler? The four top stars of their generation on a press tour – get ready for all of them to take over the timeline. 

Here’s Austin after a workout yesterday and Kaia visiting a friend.