Australia

[MacGuffin]

Crowe, Kidman's Outback Adventure

Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman are finally going to share the silver screen, and all from the comfort of home.

The Oscar-owning, Oz-based duo have officially signed on to star in a Baz Luhrmann-helmed epic set in the rugged Australian Outback in the run-up to World War II.

The Moulin Rouge director (and fellow Down Under dweller) has modestly described the project as a "sweeping romance," comparable in scope to Gone with the Wind and Lawrence of Arabia. The as-yet-untitled film, backed by 20th Century Fox, will stretch from the 1930s up to the Japanese bombing of the tropical city of Darwin in 1942.

Luhrmann said that Crowe and Kidman were excited to make "something at home, for home."

"We've talked about it for over seven years, that we must do something together in Australia," he told the Sydney Morning Herald. "Because you've got two Oscar-winning actors, you can actually make a film at a scale that you could never do for an Australian film before."

Kidman, meanwhile, told reporters that she was looking forward to making a "uniquely Australian story" with her "good friend Russell."

Luhrmann is collaborating with Collateral screenwriter Stuart Beattie on the script. Cameras are set to roll this August for a 2007 release.

The on-screen pairing of Kidman, 37, and Crowe, 41, in the Luhrmann was first speculated in the trades last May after another Oz-set project fizzled. The actors had initially planned to team up for Fox Searchlight's romantic tale Eucalyptus, but the production was indefinitely shelved due to script problems.

Last year, the Hollywood trades reported that the Crowe-Kidman film is the first in a trio of historical sagas Luhrmann has on the drawing board. The others include a delayed Alexander the Great biopic and a film set in Russia during World War I and will serve as a follow-up to his so-called Red Curtain Trilogy of Strictly Ballroom, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!, the latter of which also starred Kidman.

Kidman and Luhrmann have a productive history together. Aside from their big-screen projects, he most recently directed her in a 180-second, multimillion-dollar commercial for Chanel No. 5.

[modage]

thats weird.  because Cold Mountain was very Gone With The Wind and that also starred Kidman.  but i'm really looking forward to anything Baz does next, so 

[MacGuffin]

Baz (Temporarily) Denied

From the sound of things, 20th Century Fox is getting cold feet about Baz Luhrmann's mysterious epic, period, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe-starring romance, and as a result the film is very unlikely to begin by its original summer start date. According to The Australian, Fox is wary about footing the film's budget (rumored to be about $175 million), "until it is confident that the huge investment will pay off." What's this? Rationality from a studio? Go Fox!

Because the studio is unwilling to sign off on the film under current conditions, members of the crew have actually been sent home (Luhrmann is in the middle of preparations for shooting, which he believe must begin by August in order to beat the rainy season); if a surprise greenlight doesn't come soon, it's a distinct possibility that the film won't go into production until next year, depending on the schedules of its stars.

[MacGuffin]

Crowe Out of Luhrmann's Aussie Epic?

According to the New York Post's Page Six, Heath Ledger has replaced Russell Crowe in the film Baz Luhrmann has called an "Australian Gone With the Wind." Crowe was making demands for script approval, according to the paper.

Writes the Post:

The hot-tempered Oscar winner demanded script approval for the love story with Nicole Kidman set in the Australian outback prior to the Japanese bombardment of Darwin in 1942. The producers told Luhrmann to find another actor, and the director met several times with fellow Aussie Ledger. "Baz liked him and offered him the movie," said one source. "Then Crowe came back to Luhrmann and said he'd forego script approval and wanted to do the movie, but they told him it was too late - to buzz off."

[MacGuffin]

Ledger a No-Go for Luhrmann Pic
Oscar-nominated actor Heath Ledger has turned down the lead role opposite Nicole Kidman in upcoming Baz Luhrmann epic.
Source: FilmStew.com

Director Baz Luhrmann's $150 million epic about the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by the Japanese in 1942 still doesn't have a title, but that's the least of his worries.

The Australian Daily Telegraph reports he doesn't have a leading man for it either, now that Heath Ledger has turned down the role. Originally Russell Crowe was set to co-star with fellow Aussie Nicole Kidman, but he reportedly demanded script approval before signing on.

When Luhrmann started meeting with Heath Ledger, Crowe reportedly offered to forget about script approval, but then producers told Crowe the deal was off.

Now, Ledger has decided to pursue another big budget project, and Luhrmann's project is now high and dry without a male star.

[MacGuffin]

Jackman replaces Crowe in Luhrmann's Oz pic

Just weeks after Russell Crowe dropped out of writer-director Baz Luhrmann's untitled period epic, "X-Men" star Hugh Jackman has signed on to replace the mercurial actor.

Jackman will star opposite Nicole Kidman in the 20th Century Fox romantic action-adventure set in northern Australia before World War II. Shooting starts in February.

The film centers on an English aristocrat (Kidman) who inherits a ranch the size of Maryland. When English cattle barons plot to take her land, she reluctantly joins forces with a rough-hewn cattle driver (Jackman) to drive 2,000 head of cattle across the country's most unforgiving landscape, only to face the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by Japanese forces.

After news leaked that Crowe was dropping out because of differences with the studio, the project appeared to be in jeopardy. Several names, including Heath Ledger, surfaced as a replacement. Luhrmann said Ledger is still a possibility, but for the film's third lead.

Jackman enjoys a solid relationship with Fox, coming off the box office success of "X-Men: The Last Stand," in which he reprised his role as Wolverine. Jackman also is attached to star in the studio's thriller "The Tourist."

"He just continues to astound in terms of his range, whether it's (his Tony-winning turn in) 'Boy From Oz' or 'Wolverine," Luhrmann said in an interview. "He's always been a leading man, but he is moving toward being an iconic leading man, which is perfect for the story we're doing."

Luhrmann also said he expects to work again with his friend Crowe. "I know that Russell and I want to work together. The question is on what," he said. "Working with Russell in the future is something that I definitely look forward to doing."

[Pubrick]

GT will agree, jackman is like a modern day mickey rooney.

dude: we've got a disenchanted little girl in a jell-o pudding commercial!
jackman: i could play that..

[Gold Trumpet]

GT will agree, jackman is like a modern day mickey rooney.

dude: we've got a disenchanted little girl in a jell-o pudding commercial!
jackman: i could play that..

Haha, I can see that. He's stretching his credentials every which way before proving he can actually act.

[MacGuffin]

Baz's Big, Big Movie
And why Crowe quit it.

It looks like Baz Luhrmann's long-planned Australian period romantic epic won't begin filming until February. The project, which has Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman attached to star, was slated to begin filming this month but budgetary and scheduling issues have forced the postponement.

Kidman is now shooting His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass, while Jackman is busy filming The Tourist.

Luhrmann's still untitled pic is said to be a Gone With the Wind-size epic set in 1930s Australia that culiminates with the bombing of Darwin during World War Two, according to Reuters. The budget for the Fox-based film has been reported as anywhere from $150 million to $175 million.

Jackman stepped in last June when the film's original lead, Russell Crowe, dropped out for unexplained reasons. While doing press recently for A Good Year, the Oscar winner finally revealed what was behind the pullout.

"I just didn't want to work on that movie in the type of environment that was being created because of the needs of the budget," Crowe said. "I do charity work, but I don't do charity work for major studios."

[MacGuffin]

Luhrmann Reveals Title of His Australian Epic
Source: ComingSoon

The Age reports that Moulin Rouge! director Baz Luhrmann has announced the title of his new epic film starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

"The name is shocking," Lurhmann said with a laugh. "It's called 'Australia.'"

The site says that the film has received the green light from 20th Century Fox. There will be a workshop at Sydney's Fox Studios before Christmas, with the cast working on riding, costumes, the script and test scenes. Filming will start in the Kimberley in March and take five months.

The romantic action-adventure, set in northern Australia prior to World War II, centers on an English aristocrat (Kidman) who inherits a ranch the size of Maryland. When English cattle barons plot to take her land, she reluctantly joins forces with a rough-hewn cattle driver (Jackman) to drive 2,000 head of cattle across hundreds of miles of the country's most unforgiving land, only to still face the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by the Japanese forces that had attacked Pearl Harbor only months earlier

The title Australia was chosen over "Great Southern Land" and "Faraway Downs," the name of the homestead in the film.

"I'm taking the perspective of the rest of the world to this film how they might view 'Australia,'" Luhrmann said. "When you say 'Casablanca' or 'Oklahoma!' it means big. It means vast... I'm not saying this film is Australia. It's a metaphor for a state of mind, for the faraway.

"What people tend not to know is that more tonnage of bombs were dropped by the same attack force on Darwin as Pearl Harbor. They bombed Darwin 64 times. We were completely lied to in the south about it."

[Pubrick]

"I'm not saying this film is Australia. It's a metaphor for a state of mind, for the faraway.

manic street preachers already did that in 96.

damn you baz, now i have to change my top 10 of the decade (so far).

[MacGuffin]

Baz Luhrmann on His Epic Australia
Source: AAP

The AAP reports that director Baz Luhrmann will film around a third of his outback epic, Australia, in Bowen, Queensland. Shooting will start in April in Bowen on the film, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

The romantic action-adventure, set in northern Australia prior to World War II, centers on an English aristocrat (Kidman) who inherits a ranch the size of Maryland. When English cattle barons plot to take her land, she reluctantly joins forces with a rough-hewn cattle driver (Jackman) to drive 2,000 head of cattle across hundreds of miles of the country's most unforgiving land, only to still face the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by the Japanese forces that had attacked Pearl Harbor only months earlier.

"The film we're making is about the way in which the landscape of Australia transforms this English character, and I really want to go 'old school' in a sense of a film like Lawrence of Arabia or Giant, where the landscape transforms. I wanted to express the romance and the beauty of Darwin in the 1930s," Luhrmann said.

The crew of 200, including its two major stars, are expected to stay in Bowen during the 10 weeks of shooting.

Luhrmann, speaking in Brisbane, said he scoured every major coastal city and town around the country to find the perfect location. But it was eventually Bowen's deep water port, "gorgeous water" and historical buildings that clinched the deal.

Luhrmann said more than 100 locals would play roles such as Japanese pearlers and cattlemen, while students would be encouraged to take part in a bid to encourage young talent to stay in Australia.

[MacGuffin]

Baz gives US a peek at outback epic bigger than Texas
Source: Sydney Morning Herald

BAZ Luhrmann's new film will be the biggest made in Australia, its star, Hugh Jackman, says.

"This is going to be on a scale never seen before. It's by far the biggest Australian film ever made," Jackman told an Australian gala dinner in New York.

The actor will play opposite Nicole Kidman. Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson and David Wenham will also star in the film, titled Australia.

A promotional clip was shown at the dinner at the end of the week-long G'Day USA promotion.

"It's so good to see Aussies in tuxedos," a jocular Jackman told the assembled Australians. "It's like the cast of Happy Feet."

Speaking on the clip, Luhrmann said that when he was growing up American films showed dramatic landscapes in the US and he had always wanted to make a film that showed dramatic landscapes in Australia.

"The project is billed as an outback epic, with Kidman playing an English aristocrat who inherits a cattle station and, to combat a plot to take her land, reluctantly enlists the help of a drover [played by Jackman] to move a herd across the country," Jackman said. They then face the World War II bombing of Darwin.

Olivia Newton-John performed at the dinner and asked that money raised go to the cancer centre named after her at Melbourne's Austin Hospital.

Although fashion designer Collette Dinnigan was honoured with Jackman and Newton-John, the G'Day USA promotion was dominated by the late Steve Irwin's daughter, Bindi, who wowed the American media with appearances on almost every major news and talk show.

[MacGuffin]

Baz Talks Australia
The helmer on his new epic.

Baz Luhrmann cites classics such as Gone With the Wind, Giant and Lawrence of Arabia as stylistic inspirations for his new film Australia, a historical epic set to star Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Bryan Brown and David Wenham.

"[Those] films share something in that they take a heightened emotional story and use the landscape to kind of amplify it. They're mythological pieces, and that's what I'm making," Luhrmann informed The L.A. Daily News.

"The film Australia, set in the '30s, is about a woman who thinks that it's all over, thinks that she can't feel anymore. And she's trapped out in the far deserts of northern Australia. Then she gets involved with a rough-hewed cowboy played by Hugh Jackman, and in the quest they go on, she discovers that her life can be reborn. She chooses to feel, but it takes a degree of risk."

When asked if Australia will have more of a traditional score than his last few films have had, Luhrmann revealed, "Australia ends when the attack force that hit Pearl Harbor came down and wiped out the northern city of Darwin. At the time there was a lot of country-and-western influences from America in the music, a lot of folk influences, Hawaiian influences and jazz band music was the rage. But yet it will be a rather lush romantic score."

[MacGuffin]

First snap: Kidman in new Baz flick
Source: The Daily Telegraph

THIS is the first picture of Nicole Kidman looking grand as cattle queen Lady Sarah Ashley in Baz Luhrmann's sweeping new $120 million epic Australia.

The Oscar-winning beauty, 39, plays an upper-crust English aristocrat who heads Down Under just before World War II to confront her skirt-chasing husband - only to find him dead.

This leaves her in control of a massive Northern Territory cattle station the size of Belgium.

Kidman joins a massive cast of top Aussie talent with Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson, John Jarratt, David Gulpilil and Bill Hunter all hand-picked by Luhrmann.

Filming began in Sydney this week at the 150-year-old Strickland House in Vaucluse, which is doubling as Darwin's Government House.

Kidman and a bearded Jackman were earlier spotted brushing up on their riding skills in Centenntial Park. Riding is an essential part of the film - the pair fall in love as Jackman, playing a rough stockman, helps her drive 1500 cattle across the property.

Shooting takes place over five months with the production moving to the tiny North Queensland mango town of Bowen later this month.

The coastal community is now bustling with construction workers as more than eight town blocks are taken back in time.

Stockyards, shacks, old-fashioned cottages, shops and even a hotel have been erected at the oceanfront site.

A 93-year-old sugar cane locomotive called Homebush has even been enlisted to play a significant role in the flick. The loco started chugging around near Mackay in 1915 and was kept in mint condition by sugar company CSR.

Homebush will stay in Bowen until the end of next month - CSR even had to arrange for train tracks to be laid in the town's main street to complete the illusion.

But getting Bowen ready hasn't been all smooth sailing.

New Idea magazine made a classic blunder when it ran a photo purportedly of Bowen's main street with inset snaps of Kidman and Jackman.

Unfortunately the picture is of the main street of Roma - an inland Queensland town at least 1000km to the southwest. It also features a series of distinctive bottle trees, which can't even be found in Bowen.

Bowen Shire Mayor Mike Brunker was not amused.

"Of all the beautiful photos of Bowen they had to go and use one of Roma,'' he stormed. "(The photo) has even got bottle trees in it."