OCTOBER 2006
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29 October 2006
Hugh Jackman on cover of Men's Vogue
- As mentioned in my last news update, Hugh Jackman is featured on the cover of the November/December issue of the US Men's Vogue magazine. Click here to view the scanned article.
The magazine features a 12-page article about Jackman that includes some discussion of his role in the Australian Epic. The article does not reveal any new information about the project, but it is still a very interesting read for Jackman fans. The article also features a couple of images of Baz Luhrmann posing in an 'office' with Jackman, as though they are discussing the Epic. There is also a quote from Luhrmann, where he says: "In the old days, you'd have a dramatic actor, like Frank Sinatra, and the world would expect him to do From Here To Eternity, and he could also sing and dance and be a popular artist. That's the same with Hugh. We haven't seen that for a very long time - someone who's a true song-and-dance man but is also a dramatic actor, and a card-carrying movie star."
Australian Epic Discussion Forum
- I am a member of an Australian Epic Discussion Forum, hosted by Spectacular Spectacular! Please feel free to come along and join in the discussion about this upcoming movie! I will often be posting movie news in the Australian Epic forum before it reaches this site. Click here to check it out! :)
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22 October 2006
Australian Epic - Filming set to begin 26 March 2007
- Hugh Jackman has revealed a start date for the Australian Epic of
26 March 2007. This is the first exact start date I have read anywhere. Previously, we had been told that filming would begin in February, so this is a little later than expected. I am guessing they are starting later to avoid the effects of the harsh Australian summer? Or perhaps they simply won't be ready to begin shooting before then? Whatever the case, I am very glad we have an actual start date to begin counting down too :)
Jackman has also confirmed that filming will take place on location in Sydney, Darwin and Bowen. Jackman's comments revealing the start date and locations were found in the following excerpt from an interview with movie website,
Dark Horizons. Click here
to read the full interview.
"As with most animated films, Jackman worked alone, unlike in Australian director George Miller's Happy Feet. "Nicole [Kidman] and I worked for a couple of days together as we play mum and dad of the lead character and that was fantastic."
The actor says he is looking forward to working more extensively with Kidman on the new "Luhrmann film with her and not be penguins will be nice." The Australian epic starts filming on March 26, Jackman confirmed, on location in Sydney, Darwin, and Bowen, near the Barrier Reef. Already compared to the likes of Out of Africa, Jackman laughingly describes the untitled Aussie film as "a combination of Out of Africa, Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia -- that kind of world, a romantic adventure epic with me and Nicole."
"Role of a lifetime" for Jackman
- It seems that during recent interviews
promoting his other films, including The Prestige and Happy Feet, Hugh Jackman has been mentioning the Australian Epic quite a lot. I like the fact that he talks about as many projects as possible during each interview, as it means I have been able to pick up on several interesting snippets of information about the Australian Epic.
In this excerpt from an article by ctnow.com called Hugh Jackman's Juggling Act, Jackman reveals just how much he is looking forward to be involved with this film, including the fact that he feels it will be the "role of a lifetime".
"...but the family will return to Australia next year when Jackman assumes the lead in Baz Luhrmann's much-hyped (but still untitled) saga about Japan's bombing of Australia during World War II.
Russell Crowe was originally cast, then replaced by Jackman after a dispute over money. The latter has made peace with being No. 2.
"It's sort of been a little bit of a hallmark of my career," he says. "I always presume that I'm not the first one to be asked and I don't really care in a way. It's like saying other people have played Hamlet before. I feel like I'm the right guy for the role. I wouldn't go for it otherwise. I feel like I can put my stamp on it. It's a watershed movie for Australia and, honestly, the role of a lifetime for me."
It is clear that Jackman certainly feels honoured to be involved with this film. He even calls it "the role of a lifetime". I love that he is so enthusiastic, and yes, he is definitely the right guy for the role!
Epic a "watershed movie for Australia"
- As mentioned above, Jackman continues to reveal interesting tidbits about the film in his recent press interviews, including this excerpt from the
Edmonton Sun entitled Jackman: Life Behind
X-Men:
"He's equally undaunted replacing Russell Crowe in the long-anticipated $100-million US Luhrmann film. (Being second choice has paid off for Jackman in the past - he was cast as Wolverine only after Dougray Scott was forced to drop out.)
'A WATERSHED MOVIE'
"It's going to be a watershed movie for Australia. They've never had a movie bigger than $25 million or $30 million," he says, comparing it to Lawrence of Arabia and Out of Africa.
"It's an international epic and a love story, but (it's a personal project, too) because we're doing it in Australia, with Australian actors and an Australian crew and it's an Australian story. That's never been done before."
This article, among many others, also reveals that Jackman will go on to make the X-Men prequel, Wolverine, after he finishes work on the Australian Epic. This is very exciting news for all X-Men fans (myself included) who have been waiting to hear when this stand-alone feature would finally begin shooting. Jackman is certainly going to be extrememly busy next year shooting what I'm sure will be two of the most highly anticipated movies of his career.
Hugh Jackman video
- While promoting The Prestige
on 19 October, Hugh Jackman spoke to Australia's Channel 10 about his role in the Australian Epic.
In this short video clip, Jackman again refers to the Epic as a watershed movie for Australia, and that it will be a role of a lifetime for him. He also says that "working with Baz is a dream" and he talks about learning how to ride a horse to become a jackaroo :)
Very special thanks to foxy at the excellent Nicole Kidman United for
giving me permission to link to this video. Click here to visit the link and view the video.
Crowe's family priorities
- On a side note, Russell Crowe has again spoken about his withdrawal from the Australian Epic in an article for the Daily Mail entitled
Who's the perfect daddy,
Russell?, an excerpt from which reads as follows:
"I'm not interested in being the parent that's always away. I'm not interested in being that sort of dad. I want to be present all the time," Russell told me.
Those work-family thoughts were going through his mind when he decided to withdraw from the epic film everyone thought he was going to make with Baz Luhrmann, co-starring Nicole Kidman as his leading lady.
"I can't get into a gig that's going to go on and on and on. You can't make other plans. The last movie he shot took 16 months," said Russell, insisting that he and Luhrmann remain good pals and will work together again.
Then there's the dosh factor.
Russell observed that the as-yet-untitled Luhrmann picture (it shoots early in the New Year, and will now star Hugh Jackman) has a big budget, but everyone reduced their price, so more money could be spent on other aspects of the film.
"Everyone has to take a hit, I understand that. But I didn't understand why my hit had to be bigger than everybody else's," he said.
We already knew that Crowe chose to leave the project largely because of financial implications, and I don't really want to make any judgement on his latest comments. But I thought it was interesting to read about his family priorities, and at least now we have a clearer picture of his decision to leave being both about money and family values. And it is also good to hear that he and Luhrmann "remain good pals and will work together again".
Jackman on cover of Men's Vogue
- And finally, Hugh Jackman is featured on the cover of the November/December cover of the US Men's Vogue magazine. He was photographed on a boat in Sydney Harbour for the cover shot, and the accompanying article is described as "Hugh Jackman Gets Personal - His Global Ambition, His Childhood Abandonment, Meeting Clint Eastwood, and What Petrifies Him Most". I have also heard that there are images of Hugh Jackman and Baz Luhrmann together, apparently pictured in meetings discussing the Australian Epic, and that there are quotes from both of them about the movie. If anyone is lucky enough to obtain a copy of this magazine, please feel free to contact me :)
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