JULY 2003
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31 July 2003
Baz on 'BBC Breakfast' in London!
- Following the news that Baz Luhrmann is currently actively searching for his ideal young Alexander, extensive information has been released on the BBC News website, a transcript of which can be found below. Baz appeared on the British morning television show, BBC Breakfast, on Thursday, 28 July, and a full video interview can now be accessed through the BBC site. I highly recommend watching this in-depth video, as Baz talks very candidly about his plans and aspirations for the film and the interview is extremely informative with a running time of almost 10 minutes. The following information is only a brief summary of what Baz had to say, and can be accessed through the link above:
Search for a star
The director Baz Luhrmann has exclusively told Breakfast that he is looking to cast an unknown in his new film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicole Kidman.
Natasha caught up with the Australian director as he announced details of the worldwide casting in London.
He's looking for someone to play the part of a young Alexander the Great.
You have to be a boy aged about eight or nine, and be able to ride a horse; but read on for full details including the address of where to send your details.
You can watch director Baz Luhrmann's appeal, and our extended interview which is only available on the internet by clicking on the link at the top of the page.
Best known for the films Moulin Rouge!, La Boheme and William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the internationally renowned director said he would leave no stone unturned to find the actor to play the young Leonardo DiCaprio.
Alexander the Great will be played by Leonardo in what's being described as an epic adventure that will also see Nicole Kidman cast as Olympia, Alexander's mother.
The part of the young Alexander is crucial, says the director because it gets to the heart of what he needs to do with this film - which is to take an icon and make it human.
Alexander the Great was born in 356BC; he had conquered 90% of the world by the age of 25 but died at the age of 33.
He led his armies across 22,000 miles of sieges and conquests over a period of eight years.
He had a legendary horse, Bucephalus, with whom he had a close relationship.
Luhrmann said: We are looking for a young actor who could credibly play the role of Alexander, aged 8 - 9...he also has to look like a young Leonardo DiCaprio.
Pre Production
Luhrmann has already started work on the film, studio executives were said to be dazzled by the script.
He's been to Morocco and Jordan, where he's been shooting background plates and is soon heading for Greece and Iran.
Then it's off to Los Angeles and Sydney to complete the casting process.
Speaking about his role, Leonardo DiCaprio said: "The character of Alexander the Great is one of the most remarkable figures in history.
"It's not just that he conquered the world or was taught by one of the great minds in history, Aristotle; what most attracts me is the complex character of Alexander himself."
Luhrmann plans to release the film in 2005.
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Casting for the young Alexander
Baz Luhrmann is looking for a boy age eight or nine,
Who must be able to ride a horse or be prepared to learn, Must be a good physical match for Leonardo DiCaprio,
Send a colour head shot, CV and statistical details including age, height, weight, and horse riding experience to:
Universal Pictures Feature Castings Dept
UNTITLED ALEXANDER THE GREAT PROJECT
100 Universal City Plaza
Building 2160/8A
Universal City, CA 91608
USA
Please note, the only way of applying is by writing to the above address, do not write to Breakfast. We will not be involved in the casting process, but we have provided all the details you need here."
- Empire Online have also published an article, with direct quotes from Baz during his BBC interview called 'Wanted: Pint-Sized Potentate'. It reads as follows:
"Fame and fortune, the adoration of millions and a life of pampered Hollywood luxury is yours for the taking. Assuming, of course, that you're nine-years-old and look like Leonardo DiCaprio. Baz Luhrmann has issued a global call for would-be conquerors to step forward and audition to become the young Alexander the Great.
Appearing on BBC Breakfast this morning, Luhrman talked about the film and his requirements for the young star, as well as the reasons behind casting Nicole Kidman and Leo as the film's leads.
"For these particular roles they're just perfect casting, it's as simple as that. They're really not the boy or the girl next door. They're the kind of actors you seek out when you have extraordinary roles because they have extraordinary qualities."
On Leo in particular, Luhrmann was effusive in his praise. "I'd been working on Alexander the Great, the subject for about 10 years and he's an extraordinary character. You have to look up at the screen and say I believe that 50,000 soldiers will follow that man to the end of the world. That kind of actor isn't a dime a dozen. We get a bit blinded by the fact that at a certain point in [Leo's] career he became bigger than culture on a pop level, but he really is one of the finest actors on the face of the earth."
Big shoes to fill for any wannabe, but the boy who lands the life-changing role as Leo's younger incarnation will have to be quite extraordinary. "The issue I have is how do you really get inside that character? How do you have empathy for him? How do you take an icon and make him human? So a large part of the film is the childhood. We've got a 9-year-old Alexander the Great. Not only has he got to look like Leonardo and be a gifted actor, but Alexander had this legendary relationship with his horse, Bucephalus, so he really needs equestrian skills."
So if you have, know of or are a horse-loving, empire conquering Leo looky-likey, then this gig could should peak your interest. And don't let a lack of past roles put you off either, recognising that the ideal candidate won't necessarily have an acting background, the director has flung open the doors to children from all walks of life in order to find the perfect person. "I'm not saying we won't find it through young professional performance channels but, a bit like Harry Potter, we know now that we have to look under ever stone. I've got casting set up in every country in the world. It's probably where the risk lies, resting so much with the child."
To be considered for the role, prospective Alexanders should send a colour head shot, CV and essential details like age, height, weight, and horse riding experience (if none then a willingness to learn may be enough) to : Universal Pictures Feature Castings Dept, UNTITLED ALEXANDER THE GREAT PROJECT, 100 Universal City Plaza, Building 2160/8A, Universal City, CA 91608, USA.
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28 July 2003
ATG Casting Call!
Baz and Dino in Morocco
- I have received many e-mails over the past few month from people seeking a casting address for Luhrmann's Alexander the Great. Well, I am now happy to announce that I've found one! Today, BBC Radio 1 here in the UK reported the following story called 'Luhrmann searches for young Alexander the Great' featuring direct quotes from Luhrmann and a US casting address for Universal Pictures!
'Moulin Rouge' director Baz Luhrmann is on the lookout for a young actor to star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in his next film.
It'll be a huge-scale epic called 'Alexander the Great', and Leo plays the adult Alexander and Nicole Kidman plays his mother Olympia.
Baz told Radio 1 they've already started filming massive backdrops in Australia and Iran but there's a key part still to be found and that's a boy to play Alexander at the age of eight.
Baz told us it's a search on the scale of Harry Potter:
"Certainly in Germany, certainly in England, certainly in the United States, thousands and thousands of CVs will come in, and then the teams will sort through them, and then we'll get them down to about 50 candidates and I'll start running workshops, and I'll be doing little sessions with the kids together."
"Unless you get that performance right, Leonardo's journey is affected, so it's an exceptional performer we're looking for. They don't have to have any previous experience - that's why we're prepared to look at just about anyone."
If you think you know someone perfect for the role, please send a colour headshot of them, along with information about their age, height, weight, and horse-riding abilities to:
Universal Pictures Feature Casting Department
Untitled Alexander the Great Project
100 Universal City Plaza
Building 2160/8A
Universal City, California 91608
U.S.A.
This is very exciting news, as it shows that Baz is willing to search worldwide for his perfect young Alexander (including the UK!) And it also implies that he will be personally involved in the casting, running workshops and doing sessions. So, if you think you know someone who would make a perfect young Alexander, get writing to above address! Indeed, it appears that Baz is seeking as many applicants as he can in order to find his perfect casting choice. If you decide to write away, please feel free to mention 'Baz the Great' and my site address in your letters and correspondence. It would be very much appreciated! :-)
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22 July 2003
Stone casts Angelina Jolie in 'Alexander'
- Yesterday, Variety.com announced that Angelina Jolie has been cast as Olympias in Stone's Alexander. Jolie, who will next be seen on the big screen reprising her role as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, will be filming her scenes this fall in Morocco and London. The Variety article is called 'Alex lands hot mama Jolie', but the full article cannot be accessed unless you are a paying subscriber.
I find Jolie's casting in the role of Olympias an interesting choice. I'm not sure if Stone intends to use prosthetics to make Jolie look older, as Luhrmann plans to do with Nicole Kidman in the same role. Perhaps Olympias will only appear in scenes with Alexander as a young boy? I certainly cannot picture Jolie as she looks now portraying Colin Farrell's mother... but I guess we'll have to wait and see. Additionally, I also find it interesting that the correct spelling of Olympias has been used here. When Nicole's involvement was announced in Luhrmann's Alexander the Great, her role was named as Olympia, without the 's'. I'm not sure if this was intentional or not - again, we'll have to wait and see what the final spelling will be.
Luhrmann visits Leo in Montreal
- Meanwhile, Variety.com
has released a separate article disclosing further details about the two Alexander
movies and informing us of Luhrmann's latest whereabouts. The article is called
'Inside moves: Four Guevara pix? Che sera!'
by Dana Harris and was posted on the site on 20 July. Fortunately, I have
managed to obtain a transcript of this article. Alexander the Great information
can be found near the end of the article, and included is a direct quote from
Luhrmann regarding the casting of Alexander as a young boy:
"HOLLYWOOD -- There's room enough for two Alexander the Greats, but can Hollywood accommodate a quartet of Che
Guevaras?
Not only are Universal and DreamWorks facing down Intermedia and Warner Bros. over Alexander the Great, but four filmmakers are embracing the legend of Cuban rebel Ernesto Che Guevara.
There's Walter Salles' Spanish-language "The Motorcycle Diaries, " which is based on Guevara's journals as a med student and stars Gael Garcia Bernal.
And there's Laura Bickford and Steven Soderbergh's "Che," with Benicio Del Toro in the title role (with the remote possibility of Terence Malick behind the camera).
Then there's Brett Ratner, who holds the option on the biography "Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life," published in 1997 and written by journalist Jon Lee Anderson (and was first optioned five years ago by Bickford and Del Toro).
Last but not least, Bernardo Bertolucci (who once wanted to adapt "Motorcycle Diaries" ) has told his ICM reps he's still interested in pursuing a pic on Che.
It's possible all four of the Che projects could happen. After all, Alex the Great already has Hollywood seeing double.
Oliver Stone will begin production Sept. 22 in Morocco on "Alexander" for Intermedia and Warners for a fall 2004 release. Although that puts Stone's movie (which stars Colin Farrell and Anthony Hopkins) in the lead, Baz Luhrmann tells Variety that he remains wholly committed to directing "Alexander the Great" for Universal and DreamWorks.
Luhrmann's now casting the pic, an effort that will include a search for a youngster to play the Macedonia king as a child. Luhrmann last week was in Montreal, visiting the pic's star Leonardo DiCaprio on the set of "The Aviator."
Luhrmann tells Variety: "The boy actor must not only physically look like Leonardo and be gifted as an actor, but he must particularly have an equestrian talent like the boy in 'The Black Stallion.' "
On the Guevara front, "Motorcycle Diaries" wrapped in January and will likely bow on the 2004 fest circuit.
As for "Che," Malick's attachment is the latest signpost in Bickford and Del Toro's five-year struggle to bring the story of the man behind the revolutionary to life.
(If Malick does helm the pic, he brings a certain firsthand experience: When the Bolivian army murdered Guevara in 1967, Malick was in the country to write a piece on Guevara's guerillas for The New Yorker.)"
ATG location update
- Last week on 15 July, the following article was released by Australia's ABC Online called 'Govt asked to back Broken Hill movie':
"Broken Hill's bid to stage a new multi-million dollar movie could receive support from the Federal Government.
Australian director Baz Luhrmann and Hollywood producer Dino De Laurentiis visited the city last month to scout locations for their upcoming film Alexander the Great.
They said their decision about where to locate the movie partly depended on the availability of troops to help stage the battle scenes.
Federal National Party MP John Cobb says he has spoken to Defence Minister Robert Hill about the prospect of offering Australian troops.
"At this point in time I've only been able to mention to the Defence Minister the interest in it, the fact that Broken Hill would love to help stage this," he said.
"Not to mention that it wouldn't help to have that amount of troops around as well ... and obviously one of the issues will be whether or not it will be possible to coincide this with normal army manoeuvres."
When I came across this article, I was hoping that a decision had been made with regards to the troops needed to secure Luhrmann's Australian shoot of Alexander the Great. However, from the quotes above, it seems that the Defence Minister has only been spoken to about the "prospect" of obtaining troops. I would be interested to know how long Luhrmann and De Laurentiis have given the Australian government to make its decision. In the meantime, all we can do is continue to wait for a further announcement to be made regarding the proposed locations for Luhrmann's film.
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14 July 2003
It's all so quiet...
- Well, so far, July has been a very quiet month in terms of Baz related news, and there is again very little to report this week. Luhrmann is still in Australia, presumably still trying to get an answer from the Australian government about those much-needed troops for the proposed Alexander the Great shoot. There has not yet been any further news reported regarding the Government's progress in making its decision, and so all we can do is continue to wait...
Meanwhile, this site now has its own web host, which means you should no longer see any pop-up ads when visiting this site. The transfer has now fully taken place - enjoy! :-)
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6 July 2003
ATG name change?
- After all the exciting Alexander the Great news that was reported during June, the first week of July has been relatively quiet. There is still no further news about whether or not the Australian Government will lend Luhrmann and co. the necessary troops to enable ATG to be filmed in Australia, and there has still been no definite confirmation that Mel Gibson has signed on to star as Alexander's father. Hopefully, there will be more news to report soon.
Meanwhile, Upcomingmovies.com has suddenly stated on its ATG page that Luhrmann's film is now 'untitled'. The ATG IMDb page is also listing the project as 'Untitled Alexander the Great Project'. This has lead to some speculation that Luhrmann is now thinking of a new title for his film. As we know, Stone renamed his upcoming film just Alexander, as it has always been assumed that Luhrmann's film would be called Alexander the Great. Therefore, I'm not sure why there is need for a title change other than to make both films stand out more from each other to hopefully help ease any confusion between the two totally separate productions. However, we'll just have to wait and see to find out if there is any truth to what is currently only speculation.
Regarding site updates, my Alexander the Great News Articles section has now been fully updated with over a dozen articles that were released during June. The Development section will hopefully be updated later in the week. I have also gone ahead and paid out for a year's unlimited webspace with unlimited bandwith, which should become operational by Monday. This new webspace will mean no more annoying pop-up ads, and will hopefully also help improve the overall speed and performance of this site. Enjoy! :-)
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