Baz Luhrmann speaks at the ‘Faraway Downs’ world premiere at SXSW Sydney on Oct. 21, 2023.Photo:Brendon Thorne/GettyBaz Luhrmann, much likeTaylor Swift, is revisiting his past work to debut a brand-new version.TheElvisdirector, 61, expanded on the universe of his 2008 filmAustraliawith the newFaraway Downs, a film told across six chapters.The process, to him, felt not far off from how Swift, 33, has been re-recording her past albums for the revampedTaylor’s Versions.“I thinkFaraway Downsis like a composer doing a variation on a tune he wrote before. But it’s a different tune,” Luhrmann tells PEOPLE. “I wouldn’t say, it’s not like with Taylor,Taylor’s Version. Well, it might be— don’t tell Taylor. But, I think that I would say it’s ‘Baz’s Version.’ “Baz Luhrmann attends the Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2023/2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on July 3, 2023.Marc Piasecki/WireImageLuhrmann adds thatFaraway Downsis “the banquet version of the meal that isAustralia. So one is a two-hour-and-40-minute sitting, and the other one is a banquet that you eat in different courses with breaks at your rhythm but is nourishing in a different way, I hope.“He notes that he originally “shot 2-and-a-half million feet” of footage forAustralia, which he called a “record for footage,” and decided to delve into it all when the pandemic shuttered filming onElvis.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.He explains, “I was doingElvisand quitefamously, Tom Hanks got COVIDand we were shut down, and in that period it looked like the film could not possibly come back. And so I thought, ‘Well… what will I do?’ “COVID lockdowns led Luhrmann to a more grand idea forAustralia.“This idea of taking an old form like a melodrama, likeGone with the Wind,and turning it upside down and telling it from a First Nation’s indigenous child’s point of view, I realized I could lean into that more,” he says.Luhrmann says he “just thought, ‘Wow, episodic storytelling, this really suits episodic storytelling,’ " before adding, “There’s literally a tragedy at the end of every beat.“Courtesy of Hulu"I just rang my friend Peter Rice at Hulu and said, ‘Hey, what if you just fund me and I’ll relook at this and I can make an episodic version?’ “One thing the director remains aware of is his critics, particularly those who spoke less-than-favorably aboutAustraliaupon its U.S. release, which he describes as having been handled “in such a fraught way.““My life is full of critics, and I think the journey’s full of critics, and I have no problem with that,” he says, adding, “They’re just part of you. If you work a bit outside the box, you’re going to have critics, right?“Faraway Downsis on Hulu Nov. 26.
Baz Luhrmann speaks at the ‘Faraway Downs’ world premiere at SXSW Sydney on Oct. 21, 2023.Photo:Brendon Thorne/Getty
Brendon Thorne/Getty
Baz Luhrmann, much likeTaylor Swift, is revisiting his past work to debut a brand-new version.TheElvisdirector, 61, expanded on the universe of his 2008 filmAustraliawith the newFaraway Downs, a film told across six chapters.The process, to him, felt not far off from how Swift, 33, has been re-recording her past albums for the revampedTaylor’s Versions.“I thinkFaraway Downsis like a composer doing a variation on a tune he wrote before. But it’s a different tune,” Luhrmann tells PEOPLE. “I wouldn’t say, it’s not like with Taylor,Taylor’s Version. Well, it might be— don’t tell Taylor. But, I think that I would say it’s ‘Baz’s Version.’ “Baz Luhrmann attends the Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2023/2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on July 3, 2023.Marc Piasecki/WireImageLuhrmann adds thatFaraway Downsis “the banquet version of the meal that isAustralia. So one is a two-hour-and-40-minute sitting, and the other one is a banquet that you eat in different courses with breaks at your rhythm but is nourishing in a different way, I hope.“He notes that he originally “shot 2-and-a-half million feet” of footage forAustralia, which he called a “record for footage,” and decided to delve into it all when the pandemic shuttered filming onElvis.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.He explains, “I was doingElvisand quitefamously, Tom Hanks got COVIDand we were shut down, and in that period it looked like the film could not possibly come back. And so I thought, ‘Well… what will I do?’ “COVID lockdowns led Luhrmann to a more grand idea forAustralia.“This idea of taking an old form like a melodrama, likeGone with the Wind,and turning it upside down and telling it from a First Nation’s indigenous child’s point of view, I realized I could lean into that more,” he says.Luhrmann says he “just thought, ‘Wow, episodic storytelling, this really suits episodic storytelling,’ " before adding, “There’s literally a tragedy at the end of every beat.“Courtesy of Hulu"I just rang my friend Peter Rice at Hulu and said, ‘Hey, what if you just fund me and I’ll relook at this and I can make an episodic version?’ “One thing the director remains aware of is his critics, particularly those who spoke less-than-favorably aboutAustraliaupon its U.S. release, which he describes as having been handled “in such a fraught way.““My life is full of critics, and I think the journey’s full of critics, and I have no problem with that,” he says, adding, “They’re just part of you. If you work a bit outside the box, you’re going to have critics, right?“Faraway Downsis on Hulu Nov. 26.
Baz Luhrmann, much likeTaylor Swift, is revisiting his past work to debut a brand-new version.
TheElvisdirector, 61, expanded on the universe of his 2008 filmAustraliawith the newFaraway Downs, a film told across six chapters.
The process, to him, felt not far off from how Swift, 33, has been re-recording her past albums for the revampedTaylor’s Versions.
“I thinkFaraway Downsis like a composer doing a variation on a tune he wrote before. But it’s a different tune,” Luhrmann tells PEOPLE. “I wouldn’t say, it’s not like with Taylor,Taylor’s Version. Well, it might be— don’t tell Taylor. But, I think that I would say it’s ‘Baz’s Version.’ "
Baz Luhrmann attends the Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2023/2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on July 3, 2023.Marc Piasecki/WireImage
Marc Piasecki/WireImage
Luhrmann adds thatFaraway Downsis “the banquet version of the meal that isAustralia. So one is a two-hour-and-40-minute sitting, and the other one is a banquet that you eat in different courses with breaks at your rhythm but is nourishing in a different way, I hope.”
He notes that he originally “shot 2-and-a-half million feet” of footage forAustralia, which he called a “record for footage,” and decided to delve into it all when the pandemic shuttered filming onElvis.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
He explains, “I was doingElvisand quitefamously, Tom Hanks got COVIDand we were shut down, and in that period it looked like the film could not possibly come back. And so I thought, ‘Well… what will I do?’ "
COVID lockdowns led Luhrmann to a more grand idea forAustralia.
“This idea of taking an old form like a melodrama, likeGone with the Wind,and turning it upside down and telling it from a First Nation’s indigenous child’s point of view, I realized I could lean into that more,” he says.
Luhrmann says he “just thought, ‘Wow, episodic storytelling, this really suits episodic storytelling,’ " before adding, “There’s literally a tragedy at the end of every beat.”
Courtesy of Hulu
“I just rang my friend Peter Rice at Hulu and said, ‘Hey, what if you just fund me and I’ll relook at this and I can make an episodic version?’ "
One thing the director remains aware of is his critics, particularly those who spoke less-than-favorably aboutAustraliaupon its U.S. release, which he describes as having been handled “in such a fraught way.”
“My life is full of critics, and I think the journey’s full of critics, and I have no problem with that,” he says, adding, “They’re just part of you. If you work a bit outside the box, you’re going to have critics, right?”
Faraway Downsis on Hulu Nov. 26.
source: people.com
