This is a bit of an over–simplification. The film was loosely based on A Stone for Danny Fisher – an early novel by Harold Robbins, published in 1952. The novel told the story of a young man who takes up boxing in order to support his family, after his father loses his job in a pharmaceuticals company. According to Wikipedia, when the Hollywood film producer Hal Wallis acquired the film rights to the novel, he intended to give the title role to either James Dean or Ben Gazzara. But after Dean's death in 1955 the project was shelved.
In January 1957, following the success of an off–Broadway stage version of the story, Elvis Presley (who'd had his first hit singles in 1956, and made his film debut in Love Me Tender in November of that year) was suggested as a possible replacement. After negotiations were completed, the character of Fisher was changed from a boxer to a singer and the location was moved from New York to New Orleans. So the role that Elvis played was significantly different from the one that James Dean would have played if he hadn't died.
Michael Curtiz, the director appointed by Wallis, chose to film in black and white to create a 'film noir' ambience. He also asked Elvis to lose fifteen pounds and shave off his sideburns, which he did.
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