Baz Luhrmann is finally done with his epic Elvis biopic, which he had been working on for many years, and he is going back to revisit his 2008 romantic adventure drama, Australia, in a new six-part limited series titled Faraway Downs. The show will expand the story told in the film, and it will be assembled entirely from footage Luhrmann shot for Australia, with a new ending and updated soundtrack. Luhrmann said at the time he made the film, he shot three endings, so this will be one of those alternates.
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. While Australia the 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 Downs is a new variation on Australia for audiences to discover.”
Like the film, Faraway Downs will tell the story of an English aristocrat, Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) who inherits a large cattle ranch in Australia after her husband dies. When Australian cattle barons plot to take her land, she joins forces with a cattle drover (Hugh Jackman) to protect her ranch. The story is explored through the eyes of young Nullah (Brandon Walters), a bi-racial Indigenous Australian child caught up in the government’s draconian racial policy now referred to as the “Stolen Generations.” The trio experiences four life-altering years, a love affair between Sarah and the drover, and the unavoidable impact of World War II.
Faraway Downs is slated to premiere in the winter. Are you a fan of Australia?
via: THR