JUNE 2006

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25 June 2006

Congratulations Nicole and Keith!

- The media has been speculating about it for weeks, but today the highly anticipated wedding of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban officially took place. The ceremony went ahead at 5pm today in Sydney, Australia. The media has of course been in overdrive reporting countless articles about the wedding! I have posted one Australian article below that sums up the events of today, but feel free to check out Google News for many more! Also, for images of guests arriving at the wedding, including a stunning close-up of Kidman beaming out of her car window, check out  BBC News.

Wedding guests included Hugh Jackman and wife Deborra-Lee Furness, Russell Crowe and wife Danielle Spencer, and of course Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin. Jackman performed during the ceremony, and it has also been reported that Luhrmann may have made the official wedding video. I am very pleased to hear the ceremony went so well, and congratulations to the happy couple! :)

Kidman, Urban marry in Manly
Ninemsn.com, Sunday, 25 June 2006

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have married in a traditional Catholic ceremony in a clifftop chapel in the Sydney beachside suburb of Manly.

Kidman, wearing an ivory gown, designed by Nicolas Ghesquiere for Balenciaga, and veil, exchanged vows with Urban in the gothic-style Cardinal Cerretti Chapel at the St Patrick's estate, which has ocean views.

The bells of the church rang at 6.25pm (AEST) Sunday to indicate the couple had been married.

Kidman, 39, walked down the aisle accompanied by her father Antony, with her sister Antonia as matron of honour, her 13-year-old daughter Isabella as bridesmaid, and her young niece Lucia as flower girl.

Urban, 38, is believed to have been attended by his brother Shane, and friend Marlon Holden.

Father Paul Coleman married the couple in front of an estimated 230 family and friends.

Hollywood and Broadway star, Australian Hugh Jackman, sang Peter Allen's classic Tenterfield Saddler during the ceremony, and a Sydney Symphony string quartet also played.

Other guests included actress Naomi Watts, Jackman's wife Deborra-Lee Furness, director Baz Luhrmann. Russell Crowe, Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch, and Rupert Murdoch and his wife Wendi Deng, were also believed to be guests.

This wedding was very different to Kidman's first to superstar Tom Cruise in 1991. Kidman and Cruise, a Scientologist, married in a private ceremony at his secluded estate in Colorado. They adopted two children - Isabella and Connor - but divorced in 2001.

It is Urban's first marriage.

The Kidman-Urban nuptials have been the most anticipated wedding of the year, with the couple being the centre of a media storm throughout the past week.

The attention peaked late Sunday as Kidman's Rolls-Royce arrived at the estate and was mobbed by an estimated 1,000 media and fans.

Kidman waved to the crowd as her limousine made its way along Darley Street towards the entrance to the estate.

Despite the Hollywood hoopla, friends of the couple said they had wanted their big day to be a "normal" celebration with family and friends.

The Oscar winner and the Queensland-born country music star met at a black-tie dinner hosted by the Australian government in Los Angeles 18 months ago.

Rumours that they were romantically involved started to emerge last year, but it wasn't until Kidman accompanied Urban to the Grammys in February that they went public with their relationship.

The couple will live in Tennessee, where Urban owns a house in the country music capital Nashville.

It's believed they will spend their first night as husband and wife in their new apartment in Sydney's Walsh Bay, before heading off on their honeymoon, expected to be in Fiji or Bora Bora.

Kidman's representatives said an official photograph of the happy couple on their big day would be released to the world through AAP after the wedding ceremony.

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15 June 2006

Oz Epic: Bowen media coverage

- As we learned back in February this year, the North Queensland town of Bowen has apparently been selected as one of the filming locations for Baz Luhrmann's Australian Epic. During the past few days, there have been a variety of articles reported in the Australian press regarding Bowen's involvement. The mayor is very enthusiastic indeed, speaking openly to the media and giving an interview to a local radio station (a transcript of which is featured below). Furthermore, during Luhrmann's visit earlier this year, he took time to chat with some of the locals, including one lady who owns a pie shop, who is now being credited by a local newspaper as "the woman who sold Bowen to Hollywood"! :)

The following articles are in date order starting from the earliest down to the most recent, and are pretty much self-explanatory. (However, please note that some of the information is a bit outdated. For example, the first article reports the budget being just $40 million, while others report the more accurate figure of $120 million.) With all the renewed media interest surrounding the project recently, I think it's great that Bowen is building its public image with so much coverage, and I look forward to reading more about the production of the film taking place there in the future.


Epic Aussie blockbuster puts stars in Bowen's eyes
10th June 2006, The Daily Mercury

The bright lights of Hollywood will mean big bucks for Bowen when director Baz Luhrmann and stars Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman film a movie there, mayor Mike Brunker believes.

Hugh Jackman, currently starring in the stage musical The Boy from Oz, and recently seen in X-Men 3, was confirmed as the male lead for the movie on Thursday.

He replaces Russell Crowe who was originally slated for the role.

The film, as yet untitled but described by the director as an "Australian epic", is set in Darwin during World War II.

Bowen’s wide streets, colonial architecture and expansive waterfront contributed to it being chosen as the location by the film's producers.

Baz Luhrmann came to Bowen in February to check out the location.

"It’ll be huge for Bowen," Cr Brunker said.

"People working on it may want to buy houses and the filming itself will draw tourists."

"Look at what Mad Max did for Coober Pedy - it put it on the map.

"Who knows what it will do for us.

"I look forward to attending the premiere at Summer Garden (picture theatre)."

Filming is expected to take place in January and February next year.

Luhrmann, the celebrated director of Romeo and Juliet and Moulin Rouge, said the movie, with a budget of $40 million, would be an epic on the scale of Gone With The Wind, Out of Africa or Giant.

He has researched the film for 10 years and told an entertainment magazine the tale, co-written by Collateral’s Stuart Beattie and The Pianist’s Ron Harwood, would be a "mythological telling" drawn from books and historic materials.

The film centres on an English aristocrat (played by Nicole Kidman) who inherits a large farm.

When English cattle barons plot to take her land, she reluctantly joins forces with a roughly-hewn cattle driver (Jackman) to drive 2000 head of cattle across the country’s most unforgiving landscape, only to be confronted by the bombing of Darwin by Japanese forces.

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Bowen behold!
13 June 2006, News.com.au

A North Queensland town best known for its mangoes hopes to cash in on an outback epic just as Coober Pedy did with the success of Mad Max III.

The town of Bowen hopes Baz Luhrmann's sweeping romance starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman will put it on the world's radar.

"Look what Mad Max did for Coober Pedy (in South Australia) -- it put it on the map," Bowen mayor Mike Brunker said yesterday. "We hope this'll do the same for Bowen, especially if it's a blockbuster."

Bowen, two hours south of Townsville, is better known for mangoes -- which inspired the town's giant fibreglass mango that locals have long argued was built upside down. Parts of the still-unnamed film would be shot in Bowen for up to four months from early next year, potentially reinventing the sleepy farming town's image, Mr Brunker said.

"People go and visit where The Lord of the Rings was shot in New Zealand and all that sort of stuff, so we're hoping this might be a bit of a boom for us, especially if I can have Nicole and them around for tea," Mr Brunker said.

Director Luhrmann's epic centres on an English aristocrat, played by Kidman, who becomes the owner of a cattle station the size of Belgium, and is set before World War II. She enlists the help of a rough-hewn drover, Jackman, in a fight against the cattle barons who plot to take over her land. The couple drive 2000 cattle across the Top End and get caught up in the Japanese bombing of Darwin.

The film, Luhrmann's first since Moulin Rouge, has been likened to Gone With The Wind in terms of scale.

Mr Brunker said Bowen's undeveloped beachfront area and "romantic old timber jetty" would be the scene of the Darwin port in 1931.

He said other movies to be shot in Bowen included a "German love story", several commercials and the Channel 10 mini series Mary Bryant.

"The locals get a buzz when they're in town," he said. 

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Qld town to star in new Baz Luhrmann film
13 June 2006, abc.net.au
(This is a transcript from The World Today - an Australian radio programme broadcast on ABC Local Radio)
Reporter: Melanie Christiansen

ELEANOR HALL: In the North Queensland town of Bowen, the locals are getting ready to roll out the red carpet.

The local Mayor says that Hollywood starts Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman will be dropping in next year to film part of Baz Luhrmann's new outback epic.

Already some locals have met the filmmaker, and they're keen to cash in on the excitement, as Melanie Christiansen reports.

MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: For months the quiet beachside town of Bowen, in North Queensland, has been waiting to hear whether it's to play a starring role in a much hyped new movie.

While there's been no official announcement yet from the filmmakers, Bowen's Mayor, Mike Brunker, today has grabbed the limelight.

MIKE BRUNKER: Well, we've been selected, well, Bowen has been selected to play a part that'll be a scene in the movie, with the new - I was nearly going to say Russell Crowe, but he's got the flick - the new Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman movie, directed by Baz Luhrmann. So, exciting times for Bowen.

MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: There's no name yet for the film, about a couple who drive a herd of cattle across Northern Australia to Darwin. There's also no time yet for when the stars are expected in Bowen. But that hasn't stopped locals celebrating the news, none more so that the town's tourism manager, Therese Saad.

THERESE SAAD: Oh, look, people are excited here. I think we really needed to confirm if it were true first, because we were, you know, very excited.

The community is extremely pleased that that is happening, because it's going to add a different dimension, and the community and the shire, the Bowen Shire, will certainly do everything to cooperate and make it a total success for these guys. So it's great.

MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: Do you think people are looking forward to the chance to meet Nicole and Hugh?

THERESE SAAD: I think that's an understatement. I think there'll be crowds wanting to meet them. Of course they will. I think there'll be lots of people out, just waiting for autographs. Including me, I'll be... for Hugh, I will be the first in the crowd.

MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: Bowen cafe owner Merle Jochheim has already had the pleasure of meeting the filmmaker.

MERLE JOCHHEIM: I actually had Baz in quite a few months ago, he came into town quietly, and he came to our shop. I didn't have a clue who he was. He was asking me about all information about Bowen, and oh, he was just the loveliest guy, so was his wife.

Yep, so I didn't know who it was, and I just really tried to sell him Bowen to come here for a holiday, and I'm just so thrilled it was him now and he's coming a bit longer.

MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: And Mayor Mike Brunker is also looking ahead to the possibilities for some official mingling with the stars.

MIKE BRUNKER: Well, I hope so, that's what I - I'll line up this old summer garden theatre, because it's a romantic old picture theatre, and hopefully we'll be able to do the big premiere stuff, and I might get Nicole and Hugh around for dinner one night, a civic reception at my place (laughs), see if we can't take 'em... you know, just give 'em a lamb roast or something.

Oh, actually you'd probably be better off not having a lamb roast; we might have to have pork or something that night.

MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: Why pork? Why not lamb?

MIKE BRUNKER: It might bring back memories (laughs). What was it that Tom Cruise used to have, the lamb roast, wasn't he, a night with Tom? We better cut that bit out (laughs). Yeah, so it's all exciting times for the residents of Bowen.

ELEANOR HALL: Bowen's Mayor, Mike Brunker, ending that report from Melanie Christiansen.

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Darwin given flick for NT film
14th June 2006, By Rebekah Cavanagh, Northern Territory News

The bulk of filming for a much-anticipated Hollywood epic centred on the bombing of Darwin will be moved to Queensland because of the city's "lack of historical sites".

NT Film Office director Penelope McDonald said the NT capital did not have the locations that the film crew wanted. Award-winning director Baz Luhrmann hopes to paint a picture of World War II, centred around the Japanese bombing of Darwin, in the multimillion-dollar film that has been linked to several Australian superstar actors.

The film will be shot in Australia, beginning next year, with Hollywood darlings Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman playing lead roles.

It had been expected to be mostly filmed in the Territory.

But after the film crew visited Darwin earlier this year they found it was "not quite the look they were looking for", Ms McDonald said.

"They wanted somewhere that resembled the old historical sites and Darwin has kind of knocked them down," she said.

She said those shots would now be filmed in Bowen, about 200km south of Townsville.

Bowen mayor Mike Brunker said the town's undeveloped beachfront area and "romantic old timber jetty" would be the scene of the Darwin Port in 1931.

Ms McDonald said scenes were being filmed all across Australia, with some in the Top End, including at Stokes Hill Wharf.

Oscar-winner Russell Crowe had originally been slated for the role as Kidman's lover but reportedly demanded script approval. Heath Ledger was then linked to the movie but the Brokeback Mountain star passed on the role. 

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Pie lady seals movie deal
14th June 2006, By Sandra McLean, The Courier Mail 

When movie director Baz Luhrmann visited Bowen hunting locations for his $120 million romantic epic, he missed his meeting with the mayor.

Luhrmann was down at a pie shop getting a lesson on Bowen from local Merle Jochheim, 70.

Mrs Jochheim failed to sell the director a pie, but she is now being credited as the woman who sold Bowen to Hollywood.

Bowen Mayor Mike Brunker said Luhrmann, who will direct the as yet untitled movie starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, was inspired by Mrs Jochheim and the historic photos of the north Queensland town hanging in Jochheims Pies, which she has run for 43 years.

Mrs Jochheim's local knowledge - her great-grandfather Captain Henry Sinclair came to Bowen in 1859 to establish it as a port for shipping coal - helped steer Luhrmann to potential locations such as the lighthouse on North Head island, Flagstaff Hill and the pier at Front Beach.

Mrs Jochheim said she struck up a conversation with Luhrmann and his wife, Oscar winner Catherine Martin, outside her shop when they arrived in March on a secret location-hunting mission.

"He was just standing there and nobody knew who he was," she said. "He asked me about the wide streets and I told him the story of Bowen. He went inside and looked at the photographs we have on the wall.

"Both of them were taken with one of sailing boats and he commented on what the man was wearing in the photo. He was also interested in the jetty.

"I only realised who he was when I saw him in the paper the next day. I just talked to him like any tourist and I am really known for doing the big sell on Bowen."

Four months of filming will start in Bowen in February. The Northern Territory and Western Australia will also feature.

Mrs Jochheim would not take the credit for bringing Luhrmann to Bowen, preferring to let her hometown take the honours. "Bowen really needed something like this. I am always encouraging people to come here," she said.

Mr Brunker, who has keenly pursued Bowen's newfound role as a film location, said Luhrmann was attracted by the historic feel and coastal location.

The popular local pier will be used for scenes set in pre-World War II Darwin. In the movie, Kidman, an aristocratic cattle station owner, and Jackman, as her drover lover, drive 2000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape and experience the bombing of Darwin by Japan.

The big-budget Luhrmann movie is a coup for Bowen, 200km south of Townsville, which is trying to shake off its image as a sleepy town good for mangoes and coal. Mr Brunker is hoping Luhrmann's 20th Century Fox production will put Bowen on the tourism map and create a new industry.

Mr Brunker said if the movie was a blockbuster he might consider naming a street or two after the stars.

"I don't think the locals would like me to rename the main street, Herbert Street, however we might be able to slot in a street for them on one of our new subdivisions," he said.

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9 June 2006

Jackman speaks about Oz Epic

- News of the casting of Hugh Jackman in Baz Luhrmann's Australian Epic has spread across the world these past few days, and there is now renewed media excitement surrounding the project. The film will now star Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, arguably two of Hollywood's most sought after actors, who I believe will make a fantastic onscreen pairing. This will be an important movie for Australia, and for Luhrmann, and indeed for everyone involved.

Jackman is currently in Brisbane promoting his role in the theatre production, The Boy From Oz. He has also been mentioning the Australian Epic. The following article was reported today in which Jackman speaks about his casting in the film:

Oz boy to go bush
The Courier Mail, Sandra McLean, 9 June 2006

The first thing Hugh Jackman wanted to do when he won the coveted lead role in Baz Luhrmann's $120 million Outback epic was telephone his leading lady, Nicole Kidman.

But so far Jackman, who has replaced Russell Crowe, has been unsuccessful because of another big role in the actress's life – bride to be.

"We're playing phone tag," said Jackman in Brisbane yesterday. "Nicole has left a message on my phone and I've left a message on her phone. She is en route from the US to Australia because of something, er, big that is happening for her."

As the good-natured Jackman cruised through a gruelling publicity tour in Brisbane yesterday to promote the $24 million stage musical The Boy from Oz, he wouldn't confirm if he was referring to Kidman's upcoming Sydney nuptials to singer Keith Urban – or if he had been invited.

But Jackman did confirm his star casting in Lurhmann's yet untitled picture and spoke for the first time about the role.

He said he wanted to appear authentic as the rough-hewn drover who wins the aristocratic Kidman's heart and will learn how to wrangle cattle and ride like a stockman.

"I can't wait to go to the Outback," he said. "I love it. I spent a few months out there when I was 18 and worked on Aboriginal missions building houses at Arionda near Alice Springs, near where the film is going to be shot. I loved it so much I didn't think I would leave."

The film marks a major career move for Jackman and is set to confirm the $20 million-a-movie actor as Australia's hottest leading man on the big screen.

"He's always been a leading man but he is moving towards being an iconic leading man which is perfect for the story we are doing," Luhrmann told Hollywood Reporter this week.

Jackman is excited to be going bush to swap sequins for moleskins as it means he gets a second chance to work with both Kidman and Luhrmann after missing out on Moulin Rouge.

He auditioned for the 2001 film but didn't get a part. The 37-year-old actor said there were no hard feelings between him and Luhrmann.

"Baz said I just wasn't right at the time and one day we will work together and here we are," Jackman said. "I am just absolutely thrilled and it's an amazing opportunity to be able to do a film on such a large Hollywood scale here in Australia."

Jackman has actually been with the Luhrmann project since February as the second male lead.

Those wrangling lessons will have to wait with Jackman starting rehearsals next month as entertainer Peter Allen in the hit musical which he performed to acclaim in the US two years ago.

The show, arriving at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in September, has become a personal crusade for the star.

"Peter was such a great entertainer and it is a role I love to do," Jackman said. "I am looking forward to doing it here – when I sing I Still Call Australia Home there will be 10,000 other people singing it as well."

According to the above article, Jackman has actually been attached to the Australian Epic since February! This is the first I've heard about this - they certainly kept that quiet! Jackman was originally slated for the third lead, but will now play the lead male role opposite Kidman.

Furthermore, the above article reveals that Jackman actually auditioned for Moulin Rouge! Once again, this is the first I've heard about this! Jackman is quoted as saying, "Baz said I just wasn't right at the time and one day we will work together and here we are." I think it is brilliant that Jackman and Luhrmann will now be able to work together on such a hugely ambitious project.

I have today  been able to track down a transcript of the original Variety article on which other articles revealing Jackman's casting were based (see my previous news update). The Variety article obviously features information that has now been widely reported, but I thought I'd post it anyway, as it features an extended quote from Luhrmann regarding ATG:

Hugh ready to saddle up for Baz epic
Luhrmann taps thesp as Crowe flies
By Michael Fleming, Gabriel Snyder
Posted: Tue., Jun. 6, 2006, 11:00pm PT

Baz Luhrmann is setting Hugh Jackman to star alongside Nicole Kidman in his Australian period epic for 20th Century Fox.

Jackman replaces Russell Crowe, who recently departed the project. The studio is negotiating with Jackman, who has met with Luhrmann and agreed to go forward.

Set before World War II, pic centers on an English aristocrat who joins forces with a rough-hewn cattle driver after her northern Australian ranch is threatened by Brit cattle barons.

Casting keeps the film on track to begin in February.

Luhrmann, who has been writing the script with Stuart Beattie ("Collateral") and Ronald Harwood ("The Pianist"), hasn't made a film since 2001's "Moulin Rouge," and the new project is said to be as ambitious.

"I rarely make a film and my process is unorthodox, but this fell into place nicely with Hugh," Luhrmann said. "He's a tremendously strong choice."

A third lead, a rival for the heroine's love and land, is yet to be cast; Luhrmann thought Jackman might take that role, until Crowe fell out of the lead. On that exit, Luhrmann said: "This is a hugely ambitious marriage between Fox, the director and the principal actors. As we tried to bring the budget to the right place and arrange shooting in the capricious weather in northern Australia, it was necessary that the studio and the actor come to a resolution. They got close, but when it came to a point where it was not resolved, the No. 1 thing to do was set an actor in that role."

Jackman, who's coming off "X-Men: The Last Stand" for Fox, opens in August opposite Scarlett Johansson in the Woody Allen-directed "Scoop" for Focus. In October, he stars in the Darren Aronofsky-directed "The Fountain" for Warner Bros. and in the Chris Nolan-directed "The Prestige" for Disney.

Jackman's emergence as the lead comes just after the Aussie actor declared an intention to become hands-on in generating production in Australia, by hatching film projects through his Fox-based Seed Prods. banner. Seed won't be involved in the Luhrmann movie, but shooting the film in Australia will give Jackman and Seed partner John Palermo time to scout local talent for their own projects.

Luhrmann added that his other epic, the one on Alexander the Great, has hardly folded its tent. He and co-writer David Hare and producer Dino De Laurentiis put it down, but he's confident that it won't be forever. "I spoke to Dino about it this morning, and I never came to a moment where I didn't see myself making that film," Luhrmann said. "I'll do the Australian epic first, but I'd be very surprised if 'Alexander' was not the film I made right after."

Let us hope that 'Alexander' does indeed become Luhrmann's next project after the Australian Epic!

Finally, for people wanting to find out more about the wonderful Hugh Jackman, I recommend visiting the excellent fansite, Jackman's Landing. And if you come across any further information regarding Jackman, or indeed anything to do with the Australian Epic, please feel free to e-mail me.

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7 June 2006

Hugh Jackman to star in Oz Epic!

- Variety yesterday reported that Australian actor, Hugh Jackman, has now signed on to play the lead in Baz Luhrmann's Australian Epic. He replaces Russell Crowe, who departed from the project last month. I discovered the news of Jackman's casting early this morning in an article from Reuters (featured below). The news of Jackman's casting quickly spread across the internet today, and was even featured on Australian news broadcasts. Unfortunately, I cannot access the original Variety article, as it is a subscription only website, but it seems Baz Luhrmann gave an interview to the publication, and some of his comments have been reported in various articles, including the following:

Jackman replaces Crowe in Luhrmann's Oz pic
By Tatiana Siegel, Reuters, 7 June 2006

Los Angeles (Hollywood Reporter) - 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."

Jackman's upcoming films include Darren Aronofsky's "The Fountain," Woody Allen's "Scoop" and Christopher Nolan's "The Prestige." Luhrmann's credits include "Moulin Rouge" and "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet."

Hugh Jackman to Star with Nicole Kidman in Baz Luhrmann's Untitled Epic; Luhrmann's First Feature Film since Oscar-Winner "Moulin Rouge'' to Begin Production February 2007
Press Release - Los Angeles (Business Wire) - 7 June 2006

Hugh Jackman, just off the record-breaking success of "X-Men: The Last Stand," has agreed to star with Nicole Kidman in writer-director Baz Luhrmann's as yet untitled epic.

Jackman, one of today's most in-demand and busiest talents, chose the Luhrmann film over the myriad projects he has been offered in recent weeks. His next film set for release, Darren Aronofsky's "The Fountain," is already receiving strong critical buzz. Also awaiting release for the actor are Woody Allen's "Scoop" and Christopher Nolan's "The Prestige."

Luhrmann's film, a 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.

With his new film, Luhrmann is painting on a vast canvass, creating a cinematic experience that brings together romance, drama, adventure and spectacle.

The film begins pre-production October 2006 and production commences in Australia in February 2007. A third lead, a dark rival for the heroine's love and land, will be announced shortly.

One of the world's largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, Fox Filmed Entertainment produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world. These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of FFE: Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Atomic and Twentieth Century Fox Animation.

Hugh to romance Nic in outback epic
Sophie Tedmanson, The Australian, 8 June 2006

First Russell Crowe had been cast, then Heath Ledger was rumoured, but now Hugh Jackman has signed on to star as Nicole Kidman's lover in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming Australian epic.

The problem-plagued sweeping romance finally found its leading man when the Moulin Rouge director signed Jackman to replace Crowe, who was reportedly dumped last month after demanding script approval.

It will be the first Australian film role for Jackman - currently on cinema screens in the box-office hit X-Men: The Last Stand - in almost a decade, and his first since he conquered Hollywood and Broadway.

Jackman is travelling the country promoting the upcoming Australian arena tour of The Boy From Oz, in which he will reprise his Tony award-winning turn as Peter Allen.

Luhrmann, who is overseas, told Variety magazine Jackman was "a tremendously strong choice".

He also released story details of the still-untitled film which is set in northern Australia before World War II.

It centres on an English aristocrat, Kidman, who becomes the proprietor of a cattle station "the size of Belgium" and has to fight cattle barons who plot to take over her land.

She enlists the help of a "rough-hewn" cattle driver, Jackman, to move 2000 beasts in a cross-country trek across the Top End. The pair eventually get caught up in the Japanese bombing of Darwin.

Luhrmann said he expected to start pre-production on the epic - which has been delayed by location, weather and casting problems - in October, with shooting to begin in February.

He said of Crowe's exit: "As we tried to bring the budget to the right place and arrange shooting in the capricious weather in northern Australia, it was necessary that the studio (Fox) and the actor come to a resolution. They got close, but when it came to a point where it was not resolved, the No1 thing to do was set an actor in that role."

Luhrmann also said he had not shelved plans to make a film about Alexander The Great. "I'll do the Australian epic first, but I'd be very surprised if Alexander was not the film I made right after."

Kidman, currently filming in New York, is rumoured to be returning to Australia in the next fortnight for her wedding to country singer Keith Urban.

Jackman is about to start rehearsals for The Boy From Oz, which tours Australia from August.

He also has several films set for release, including the sci-fi drama The Fountain and Woody Allen's romantic comedy Scoop.

Hugh's a jackaroo
From Sydney Confidential, 8 June 2006

Luhrmann. Kidman. Jackman. It has a certain ring to it.

Twentieth Century Fox hopes it's the ring of box office tills as Hugh Jackman is confirmed to star opposite Nicole Kidman in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming period epic, reports Michael Bodey.

Jackman replaces Russell Crowe, who was pushed from the project last week after dallying on script consultation.

Jackman will play a cattle driver hooking up with an English aristocrat (Kidman) whose northern Australian ranch, which she inherits unexpectedly, is threatened by British cattle barons. They undertake a cattle drive across the Top End.

Luhrmann, speaking of Crowe's early exit, said: "This is a hugely ambitious marriage between Fox, the director and the principal actors."

"As we tried to bring the budget to the right place and arrange shooting in the capricious weather in northern Australia, it was necessary that the studio and the actor come to a resolution. They got close but when it came to a point where it was not resolved, the No.1 thing to do was set an actor in that role."

Jackman was being considered for the third lead role until Crowe fell out. Jackman was the obvious replacement as he had no filming commitments after his Australian stadium tour of The Boy From Oz later this year and four films released in 2006.

He is also a favourite of the Fox studio given his star performance as Wolverine in the X-Men franchise.

Jackman has also confirmed his new Australian production company with John Palermo, Seed Productions, will be based at Sydney's Fox Studios, and aim to make two or three $US 10million films a year.

Luhrmann's yet-to-be titled pre-World War II film, co-written with Collateral's Stuart Beattie and The Pianist's Ronald Harwood, is now scheduled to begin filming in February.

The above articles feature a lot of exciting new information. First of all, I think that the casting of such a high profile actor such as Hugh Jackman will help alleviate the uncertainty that has surrounded this project for some time now. Jackman's casting has been met with a positive reaction, and I think an excellent choice has been made.

I would have loved to have seen Russell Crowe star in this film. I will always respect him for being so enthusiastic about the movie, and for being so supportive these past few months. I think it is a great shame he had to depart the project. However, Luhrmann clearly holds no grudges against Crowe, and Reuters quotes him as saying, "I know that Russell and I want to work together. The question is on what. Working with Russell in the future is something that I definitely look forward to doing."

I must admit that when I found out Crowe had left the project, the name that immediately came to my mind as a possible replacement was Hugh Jackman. Hugh Jackman is my favourite actor. I first came to know of him through his brilliant performance in the original X-Men movie, and I am a huge Wolverine fan! To have my favourite actor and favourite director working together is very exciting indeed :) Luhrmann is clearly also impressed with Jackman's previous works. The Australian quotes Luhrmann as saying Jackman is "a tremendously strong choice". And Reuters quotes Luhrmann as saying, "He just continues to astound in terms of his range, whether it's (his Tony-winning turn in) 'Boy From Oz' or 'Wolverine'. 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."

Secondly, more plot details have now been revealed regarding this movie. We knew the basics before, but today's articles have shed more light on the specifics of the plot. The above press release states: "Luhrmann's film, a 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." We already knew that the film was set around World War 2 and would feature the Japanese bombing of Darwin. However, for some time I have been wondering how Luhrmann's participation in an Australian cattle drive last year fitted into the research for his next movie, and now it all makes sense!

Next, we have discovered that Jackman was originally in line to play the third lead role and, after Crowe pulled out, Jackman was an "obvious replacement". It seems that  Kidman's character will be involved in a love triangle with two men. However, the identity of the actor who will play the other male lead has not yet been revealed, but will reportedly be announced shortly. Furthermore, Reuters reports that Luhrmann is still considering Ledger for the role. However, we know from recent news that Ledger has signed on to star in a film called Dirt Music that is set to shoot early next year, also in Australia. Perhaps there is the possibility that he can fit in both films? We will have to wait and see.

Regarding the production itself, Sydney Confidential quotes Luhrmann as saying, "This is a hugely ambitious marriage between Fox, the director and the principal actors. As we tried to bring the budget to the right place and arrange shooting in the capricious weather in northern Australia, it was necessary that the studio and the actor come to a resolution. They got close but when it came to a point where it was not resolved, the No.1 thing to do was set an actor in that role." Luhrmann's comments indicate he needed to find a lead actor who the studio would be happy with so that he could progress his movie, and it seems Jackman was universally decided on as the right man for the job. Luhrmann has also confirmed that pre-production is set to begin in October 2006, with shooting starting in February 2006.

Finally, The Australian includes a paragraph reporting that Luhrmann's ATG has not been shelved, and quotes Luhrmann as saying, "I'll do the Australian epic first, but I'd be very surprised if Alexander was not the film I made right after."

There has certainly been a lot of information revealed today, and I now find myself more excited than ever to follow the making of this much-anticipated movie! :)

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4 June 2006

'Oz epic remains active'

- Variety has today reported an article ensuring us that Baz Luhrmann's Australian Epic will still go ahead.

Crowe flies, but Baz is unruffled
Helmer's Oz epic remains active
By Nicole Laporte

With Russell Crowe ankling Baz Luhrmann's latest project -- an Australian period epic -- the question arose as to just how long auds will have to wait for Luhrmann's follow-up to 2001's "Moulin Rouge!"

Luhrmann's auteur approach means relatively long lapses of time between his labors of love, which are not limited to the bigscreen and include helming the opera "La Boheme" and a high-profile Chanel spot in the interim since "Moulin Rouge!" He's also taken time off to have two kids.

This style is supported by Fox, with which Luhrmann has had a long relationship, and where the attitude according to one exec is: "Baz doesn't make a movie until it's the right one."

Translated: They're worth the wait.

Indeed, that's the state of Luhrmann's Alexander the Great project, which is expected to ramp up again after more time has elapsed since Oliver Stone's 2004 pic.

Luhrmann's Oz epic remains active, sans Crowe, and could start lensing by the end of August, depending on how quickly casting comes together.

Variety is a trusted source of information, but I'm just wondering where this information came from - perhaps 20th Century Fox themselves? They must have wanted to report a positive article regarding the project following the media frenzy surrounding Russell Crowe's departure.

It is great to hear a positive mention about how Luhrmann's Alexander the Great could still eventually get made. I have always maintained that this project might still go ahead, but obviously a few years will need to go by to allow the influence of Oliver Stone's movie to fade. If this news is indeed from the studio, it is good to hear that ATG has not been forgotten and is still on the cards.

The article also says that the Australian Epic could start shooting by the end of August. I know that originally filming was set to begin around August, but due to various complications, the start date has now reportedly been put back to early next year. I'm therefore not sure why August has been mentioned now, as I very much doubt the production will be ready by then. Still, perhaps they will prove me wrong?

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3 June 2006

Crowe speaks out on Epic

- After the media frenzy of the past few days regarding Russell Crowe's departure from Baz Luhrmann's Australian Epic, Crowe has now spoken out and given his side of the story. The following article is being printed in tomorrow's edition of The Sydney Morning Herald:

Dumped Crowe at a loss to explain the director's cut
Christine Sams Entertainment Reporter, June 4, 2006

Russell Crowe has revealed director Baz Luhrmann dumped him from an Australian-based film project before the Oscar-winning star had a chance to comment on a draft script.

The actor has confirmed rumours he will no longer be involved in Luhrmann's $150-million, Gone With The Wind-style Australian epic that was set to star Crowe and Nicole Kidman.

But despite rumours he had tried to gain full script approval, the actor said he had no chance to make demands regarding the second draft.

Instead, he said he barely had time to read it, before he was told by Luhrmann and producers from 20th Century Fox he was no longer needed for the film.

"Before I could tell them what I thought of the script, they'd moved on," Crowe wrote in an exclusive email to The Sun-Herald last week. "That's their choice."

Crowe expressed surprise at his removal from the project, saying "My reps stand by their efforts in trying to make this work . . . we did not disengage, Baz and Fox did".

Crowe said he had five days to read the second draft script for the movie, during a period where he was also working on another film, Tenderness, directed by John Polson in New York.

The actor said when he did read the script he thought it was "brilliant", but he never had a chance to discuss his thoughts with Luhrmann or Fox.

"I was given the draft [on the] 12th [of] May, the day I flew out to New York, and replied by 17th of May. Too late apparently," he said. "There was nothing that wasn't usual in our deal process [before that]," he added.

But Crowe's reputation as an outspoken perfectionist may have lead to early demands from US studio bosses, nervous about his pedantic involvement in the script. It is believed Crowe's dissatisfaction with the script for Eucalyptus, an Australian film also set to star Nicole Kidman, ultimately lead to the project's demise.

Crowe admitted executives from 20th Century Fox made early demands regarding the script-reading process for Luhrmann's film.

"I was given the script with a demand from the studio that I waive script approval before I read it," he said. "Before I could tell them what I thought of the script, they'd moved on."

Despite being removed from the film - a project he had championed publicly for several months - Crowe said that he still admired Luhrmann enormously.

"I love Baz, he's a boy wonder, genius for sure," he said. "And I'll tell you, as I told Fox, when I finally got the second draft it was brilliant.

"I trust that Baz will make the movie he wants to make and that's absolutely the way it should be."

Nicole Kidman is still believed to be involved in the film project, set to be made in the Kimberley region of Western Australia as well as the Northern Territory, but Luhrmann is searching for a leading man.

The script for Luhrmann's movie centres on a love story set in Darwin in the 1930s and '40s.

The Australian-based project is a vital one for Luhrmann, who has not made a film since Moulin Rouge, which also starred Kidman.

Luhrmann had planned an epic version of the life of Alexander the Great, which included a request to Prime Minister John Howard to use members of the Australian Army as extras, but the lavish project never got off the ground.

For Crowe, whose next cinematic release is A Good Year (which was filmed in France), his exit from Luhrmann's project opens up a hole in his professional schedule later this year.

But the actor is expecting his second child with his wife Danielle Spencer, so it is likely he will concentrate on fatherhood while considering other offers.

I find this to be a disheartening situation. Russell Crowe is specific in his explanation, and I do believe his version of events over what has been said by the media in recent days. What I can't believe is that 20th Century Fox has done this to him. Crowe has been so supportive of the Australian Epic for such a long time, and for him to be discarded in such a way was totally uncalled for. The studio has obviously been influenced by some of the not-so-nice things the media has said about Crowe in the past, but I'm sure he would have been a brilliant lead. Luhrmann wanted him, and I wish the studio could have trusted his judgement.

It seems to me the studio is being very influential regarding the production of the Australian Epic. It appears they are trying to control this production to a great degree, and I can only hope they still give Luhrmann some freedom when it comes to actually making the film. I know that studios ultimately have the last word regarding all films, but I find it strange that Crowe was attached for so long before suddenly departing from the project.

I am now concerned that the media are going to try and imply there is tension between Luhrmann and Crowe, when this is not the case. Crowe openly admits in the above article that he still admires Luhrmann, and it seems he holds no grudges against him. However, the above article opens with the sentence, "Russell Crowe has revealed director Baz Luhrmann dumped him from an Australian-based film project..."  While the article does go on to explain the situation in more detail, it's opening statements like this that are probably going to catch on and appear in the press. Ultimately, I do not believe it was Luhrmann's decision - it was a studio decision that Luhrmann simply had to comply with to get his movie made.

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2 June 2006

Australian Epic Update

- As reported in my most recent news updates, it has this week been revealed that Russell Crowe will no longer star in Baz Luhrmann's Australian Epic.

This news has been reported all over the world, with the media giving various interpretations of Crowe's sudden departure. Some articles have been rather misleading. One article was entitled Russell Crowe 'too old' for role, when in fact his age had nothing to do with his leaving the project.

The news of Crowe's departure originated with the New York Post, who originally reported that Ledger was set to take over from Crowe. However, today the New York Post corrected itself with the following article:

Heath Ledger Rejects Crowe Role

Heath Ledger has turned down the chance to replace Russell Crowe in Baz Luhrmann's new $150 million untitled film epic.

The Gladiator star was set to play Nicole Kidman's lover later this year in the movie set around the Japanese bombing of Darwin, Australia, in 1942.

But Crowe has been accused of demanding script approval before signing on for the film. While Crowe was procrastinating, the film's producers reportedly told Luhrmann to find another actor. The director then met with Ledger several times.

A source tells the New York Post, ""Baz liked him and offered him the movie. Then Crowe came back to Luhrmann and said he'd forgo the script approval and wanted to do the film, but they told him it was too late--to buzz off.""

But the Moulin Rouge! director is now stranded without a leading man after Brokeback Mountain actor Ledger passed on his project in favor of another big budget movie, according to Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph.

The Daily Telegraph article referred to was reported yesterday, and is much more detailed. It reads as follows:

Stars in Hollywood power play

Russell Crowe has been outwitted and Baz Luhrmann left without a male star in a Hollywood power play.

Luhrmann's epic love story is set to begin pre-production in October with a February shoot starring Nicole Kidman and, now, who knows, after Heath Ledger passed on the film.

Luhrmann is overseas casting a male Australian lead. Ledger's US representatives said the Brokeback Mountain star passed on the role, which he reportedly had in the bag.

The Daily Telegraph understands Ledger's casting in another high-profile international film will be announced soon.

While Crowe didn't have script approval on the 1930s Top End story, insiders said the Oscar winner continues to throw around his "rights of consultation" and held off signing his contract unless his changes were accepted.

Luhrmann and the studio behind the film, Twentieth Century Fox, decided the script - co-written by Collateral's Stuart Beattie and The Pianist's Ron Harwood - wouldn't need further input.

Crowe recently told friends he hadn't seen a final script.

"Baz is the master, he's the one, the film doesn't need two masters," said a crew member closely involved in production.

Crowe's camp suggests the film's future is clouded given its budget ($150 million) and logistical problems (filming in The Kimberleys, Darwin and Sydney), but production staff continued to scout locations last week.

Fox's commitment to Luhrmann is solid, despite its handshake deal with Crowe to produce his directorial debut.

However, the studio is respectful of Luhrmann's vision and ability to hire "low-stress" cast and crew, said one insider.

Crowe, filming Tenderness for director John Polson in New York, will be in Sydney next week for a "re-launch" of the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

This incident will confirm to many that it was Crowe who was at the heart of the end of the film Eucalyptus last year.

The above article seems to be the most reliable article to date, offering the most thorough explanation yet. It seems that Crowe's departure was indeed to do with the script. We know that Crowe read the script a few months ago and said he was very happy with it. However, we also know that since then, the script has been undergoing revisions and rewrites, and so it would make sense that Crowe had not yet seen a finalised script. The article says that Crowe wanted changes made to the script and would not sign his contract until they were accepted. However, it was decided by both the studio and Luhrmann that the script did not need further input and it seems Crowe walked away. According to other articles, such as the above report from the New York Post, Crowe then came back saying he'd forgo the script approval, but by then the studio had told Luhrmann to hire another actor.

On a more positive note, The Daily Telegraph article does reassure us that pre-production is set to begin in October with a February 2007 shoot. These dates have been mentioned before, but it is good to see them being repeated. The article also states that "production staff continued to scout locations last week", and "Fox's commitment to Luhrmann is solid", which hopefully indicates that this movie will still go ahead as planned.

Regarding who will replace Crowe, the article says that Luhrmann is overseas searching for an Australian lead. There are currently rumours going around the internet speculating about which Australian actor may be cast, but there has been no further media reports regarding this as yet.

Regarding the involvement of Heath Ledger, The Daily Telegraph reports that his representatives say he passed on the role, which he "reportedly had in the bag", as he'd already been cast in another high-profile film. It has now been revealed that this film looks set to be Dirt Music, directed by Phillip Noyce. The director announced his cast yesterday, and it seems likely this was done on purpose to put to rest the reports that Ledger was attached to the Australian Epic (although the director denies knowledge of this). Ironically, this film may have also starred Nicole Kidman, who could not become involved due to her commitment to Luhrmann's project. And what's more, the two films incidentally look set to film in the same region at the same time!

Relevant excerpts from an article by the Sydney Morning Herald read as follows:

Winton's coastal tale is not Kidman country

Nicole Kidman is out and Heath Ledger is in.

The director Phillip Noyce announced the cast yesterday for a film of Tim Winton's award-winning novel Dirt Music, which he plans to shoot on the coast outside Perth and the Kimberley early next year.

While never formally attached, Kidman had been interested in starring in the romantic drama for several years. But when the script was finally ready, Noyce said the Oscar-winner was already committed to the director Baz Luhrmann's next film....

.... Noyce said he knew nothing about reports that Ledger had been offered a role replacing Russell Crowe in Luhrmann's film, which is also scheduled to shoot in the Kimberley next year. He denied a rumour that Crowe was attached to Dirt Music at one stage.

"If they're filming around the same time, no doubt there'll be one or two outback airports that will be quite busy."

There's been so much news reported over the past few days, it's been difficult to keep up! However, after many weeks of silence surrounding the project, it seems that the news has well and truly started up again. Let's hope we hear more soon :)

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