Baz Luhrmannis expanding upon his 2008 filmAustralia.
The director — whoseElvismovie debuted No. 1 at the domestic box office over the weekend — announced Tuesday that he will release a six-episode director’s cut version of the 14-year-old romantic epic, which starredNicole KidmanandHugh Jackman. TitledFaraway Downs, the limited series will stream on Hulu this winter, according toThe Hollywood ReporterandVariety.
Luhrmann said in a statement, “I originally set out to take the notion of the sweeping,Gone With the Wind–style epic and turn it on its head — a way of using romance and epic drama to shine a light on the roles of First Nations people and the painful scar in Australian history of the ‘Stolen Generations.’ WhileAustraliathe film has its own life, there was another telling of this story; one with different layers, nuances and even alternative plot twists that an episodic format has allowed us to explore.”
“Drawn from the same material,Faraway Downsis a new variation onAustraliafor audiences to discover,” he added.
Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment president Craig Erwich added, “Baz is one of the world’s great auteur storytellers, so revisitingFaraway Downsand experiencing his incredible filmAustraliain this unique, new episodic format has been a revelatory and unique adventure. We look forward to taking viewers into the ranch and experiencing all of the stories that are both held within and continue to unfold there.”
Australiais 2 hours and 45 minutes long and earned an Oscar nomination for its costume design.
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Kidman became pregnant with her daughter Sunday, who turns 14 next month, while making the movie. She and Luhrmann — who also made 2001’sMoulin Rouge!together — caught up to do an interview with each other forVogueAustralialast month, reflecting on their friendship and makingAustralia.
“I rewatchedAustraliawith Sunday during COVID, which is so bizarre, right? The child that was birthed from that film, loves the film,” said Kidman, 55. “And, I said, ‘It’s so of now!’ So then when you were like, ‘Oh, I’m thinking of doing this in a much longer version [Faraway Downs].’ I was like, ‘What a great idea!’ Because I remember there were a lot of things we shot that you couldn’t put into the film, there just wasn’t the time. And it’s so rich, that text, that story.”
From left: Austin Butler, Olivia DeJonge, Baz Luhrmann and Tom Hanks in June.Chris Hyde/Getty
“You know, the addiction to barbiturates and all of that, he starts doing wackadoo things — like going down to see Nixon,” Luhrmann added. “I had it in there for a while but there just comes a point where you can’t have everything in, so I just tried to track the spirit of the character.”
source: people.com
