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Audiences and critics are divided on the merits of Baz Luhrmann's Faraway Downs, a six-part miniseries starring Hugh Jackman that expands the story told in the panned 2008 drama Australia. While general TV consumers enjoy the 2023 Hulu series, critics feel it's a bloated and unnecessary addendum to the underwhelming 2008 historical epic. Of course, critics aren't always right, and in the case of Faraway Downs, they missed the mark.

A deeply personal tale for Luhrmann, Faraway Downs effectively functions as a corrective director's cut, allowing the venerated Australian visionary to tell the story as he sees fit. The qualitative results are more in line with the audience's reception than the critics' cynical dismissal, putting Australia on par with the hit series Yellowstone and, even better, akin to what Quentin Tarantino did with The Hateful Eight. Critics need to check the pulse of what appeals to non-critics and reassess Faraway Downs at once.

Baz Luhrmann isn’t done with Elvis Presley just yet. The “Elvis” director is going back to the well and is putting together a documentary film on the life of the King, drawing from some never-before-seen footage of Presley that he unearthed while making his feature.

The film will be directed and produced by Luhrmann for Authentic Studios, a still nascent production banner within Authentic Brands Group that is aiming to develop movies and series based on the many brands and IP it represents and manages, among them material from the Presley archive.

Marc Rosen, Authentic’s president of entertainment, shared the news with Variety, which originally reported the news, on Friday, December 13. Reps for Authentic and Luhrmann did not return IndieWire’s request for comment.

No other details about the documentary were available at present, but the film would be Luhrmann’s non-fiction debut. Luhrmann is also next directing “Jehanne d’Arc,...

Babygirl star Nicole Kidman explains her weirdest filming rule while on-set, and says there’s one director who makes her break it. A five-time Oscar nominee and one-time winner, Kidman is used to appearing in critically acclaimed movies, and often she’s the main reason for the films earning such praise. The star is indeed back in the thick of it this awards season, with her new A24 movie Babygirl already scoring her a Best Actress Golden Globe nomination. The erotic-thriller releases in theaters on December 25, 2024.

It’s hard to question Kidman’s process after so many years and so many awards, but there’s one aspect of her approach that may nevertheless seem odd, and it involves a rule she has about never looking at video playback on-set. Though Kidman is seemingly adamant about this rule, not all directors are keen to let her avoid looking at the monitor,...

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Territory is an Australian neo-Western drama series created by Ben Davies and Timothy Lee. The Netflix series revolves around the world’s largest cattle station, Marriane Station which has been owned for generations by the Lawson family but it becomes subject to takeover by various parties after the Lawson family engages in a succession battle for ownership of the property. Territory stars Anna Torv, Michael Dorman, Robert Taylor, and Sam Corlett. So, if you loved the Western element, engaging family drama, thrilling story, and compelling characters in Territory here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Yellowstone (Peacock & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Paramount+

Yellowstone is a neo-Western drama series created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson. The Paramount Network series follows the Dutton family who own the largest ranch in Montana. The plot mostly revolves...

Baz Luhrmann is set to tackle the story of Joan of Arc as his next project. Titled Jehanne d’Arc, the film will tell the epic tale of Joan of Arc, a teenager who claimed to be acting under divine guidance as she helped lead France to victory during the siege of Orléans. She stood by Charles VII during his coronation of the King of France but was later captured and handed over to the English. They put her on trial for heresy, and she was ultimately burned at the stake at the young age of nineteen.

Deadline reports that Luhrmann is in the midst of his creative process now, with a casting breakdown set to go out today. The project is looking for a young woman to star in “The ultimate teenage girl coming of age story, set in the Hundred Years’ War.” There have been plenty of adaptations...

Filmmaker Baz Luhrmann will direct a new movie telling the story of Joan of Arc. Warner Bros. Discovery approved the project, called “Jehanne d’Arc.” It will focus on the life of the French heroine who helped lead military forces at a young age.

Luhrmann wants to show Joan of Arc’s perspective as a teenage girl during the Hundred Years’ War between England and France. The long conflict between the two countries formed the backdrop for her actions. Casting agents are looking for a young actress to portray Joan of Arc, who began her military efforts as a teenager.

Luhrmann is known for epic historical films like “Australia” and his most recent movie “Elvis.” Starring Austin Butler, “Elvis” was critically acclaimed and earned over $288 million worldwide. Rising actress Jenna Ortega expressed interest in the role and said Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1928 film “The Passion of Joan of Arc” is one of her favorites.

Baz Luhrmann has officially confirmed his next film: an epic about Joan of Arc.

The auteur is reuniting with Warner Bros. after 2022’s “Elvis” for the upcoming feature centered on the real-life French woman who believed she was divinely led to captain an army during the Hundred Years’ War. The feature is slated to be titled either “Jehanne” or “Jehanne d’Arc.”

Deadline first reported the news, which IndieWire has confirmed. Warner Bros. had no comment.

“Jehanne d’Arc” will cast a young woman in “the ultimate teenage girl coming of age story, set in the Hundred Years’ War,” as the casting announcement read in Deadline.

Interestingly enough, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” star Jenna Ortega recently told Letterboxd that Joan of Arc is among her dream roles. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is also a Warner Bros. film.

Ortega selected “The Passion of Joan of Arc” among her four favorite films. “Renée Falconetti’s performance in that is absolutely insane,...

Fans still waiting for Big Little Lies season 3 should check out Netflix's new drama series The Perfect Couple. Released on Netflix on September 5, 2024, The Perfect Couple has a great cast led by stars Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Eve Hewson, Jack Reynor, and Dakota Fanning. Created by Jenna Lamia, the 6-part series was directed entirely by Susanne Bier, best known for directing Bird Box, The Undoing, and The First Lady.

Nothing quite compares to the extraordinary female ensemble in Big Little Lies, which features performances by Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Zo Kravitz, and Laura Dern. Kidman has seemingly been working nonstop over the past few years, starring in the crime thriller movie Babygirl, the Netflix romantic comedy A Family Affair alongside Zac Efron, the Amazon original series Expats, and the Hulu original series Faraway Downs. She is also set to reprise her roles in Paramount's Lioness and HBO's Big Little Lies.

Baz Luhrmann is a director whose work has inspired a fervent following and equal disdain, depending on the project. Part of that is due to his maximalist tendencies: his work often tends to feature big sets, big names in the cast, and narratives that stretch on. A key example is Australia, the 2008 Luhrmann-helmed drama featuring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. Australia is set on the brink of World War II, as Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman) travels to the titular country in order to sell a cattle station. But after the death of her husband, Sarah finds herself falling for Drover (Jackman), a cattle rancher. It isn't long before drama rears its head, especially surrounding the indigenous Nullah (Brandon Walters) that comes to live with Sarah and Drover. Australia received a mixed reception when it was released, and probably would have remained a footnote in Luhrmann's career if not for the...

Kevin Costner's Horizon saga faces box office troubles after Chapter 1's disappointing performance, leading to a reevaluation of its release plan. Like Baz Luhrmann's Faraway Downs, Costner's Horizon movies may benefit from being reimagined as a TV series to attract a more dedicated audience. Despite the setback, there may still be hope for the Horizon saga to succeed as an epic television event.

In the wake of Horizon: An American SagaChapter 1's box office disaster, an Australian epic from 2023 could show Warner Bros. Pictures how to save Kevin Costner's failed Yellowstone replacement. Costner, who helmed the Oscar-winning Dances with Wolves in 1990, has been working on the script for the Horizon saga since at least 1988. A passion project for the writer, director, actor, and producer, Horizon was originally envisioned as a four-part movie series, with the first two chapters scheduled for a back-to-back release this summer. Unfortunately for Costner,...

Exclusive: Pirates of the Caribbean and Collateral screenwriter Stuart Beattie is penning the biopic All Out of Love: The Air Supply Story about the 1980s soft rock band Air Supply.

Altit Media Group’s Dean Altit will produce, with Barry Seigel, Jesse Weiner, Johnny Hsu and Julia Xu serving as EPs.

Production is planned in Australia and the UK during Q4 this year in plan for a summer 2025 theatrical release to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary.

Air Supply was the hit-meister of many gold and platinum slow dance and make-out songs during the 1980s such as “All Out of Love,” “The One That You Love” and “Making Love Out of Nothing at All.” The band found major success with seven Top 5 singles in a row, tying The Beatles’ consecutive run. Air Supply counts more than 100 million albums sold worldwide and played over 5,000 shows, with members Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock recording hits,...

Baz Luhrmann is no longer attached to the long-awaited English-language adaptation of Russian novel “The Master and Margarita,” Variety has learned.

A seminal 20th century novel, Bulgakov first wrote “The Master and Margarita” in the Soviet Union in the 1930s but it was not published until some decades after the author’s death. The fantastical story, inspired by Faust, sees the Devil visit the Soviet Union and includes elements of satire, Christianity, comedy and the supernatural.

It was first reported in 2019 that Luhrmann planned to develop a film based on the iconic book via his joint-venture company with Len Blavatnik, Baz & Co. At the time Luhrmann did not commit to directing it.

But a movie failed to materialize and Luhrmann instead went on to direct his Oscar-nominated “Elvis” biopic and limited series “Faraway Downs.” Now the director has stepped back from the project entirely. Variety understands there was concern over the book rights.

Coming on the heels of Baz Luhrman’s decision to re-edit “Australia” into a mini-series for Hulu, taking an already long film and stretching it well beyond its breaking point in “Faraway Downs,” Veena Sud has chosen to do the opposite for the streaming service. Taking her forgotten Quibi show “The Stranger” — a short-form web series about a rideshare driver (Maika Monroe) who picks up a deranged stalker (Dane DeHaan), leading to the worst night of life — and reformatting it as a lean 90-minute film, Sud recontextualizes Quibi’s ten-minute episodes into a highly episodic, and occasionally bumpy, thriller.

Continue reading ‘The Stranger’ Review: Veena Sud Re-Edits Her Quibi Series Into an Entertainingly Implausible Thriller at The Playlist.

“Lord of the Rings,” “Elvis” and “Faraway Downs” star David Wenham is to reprise one of other his best-known roles in upcoming feature “Spit.”

The picture is a sequel to 2003 comedy crime thriller “Gettin’ Square,” in which Wenham played Johnny ‘Spit’ Spitteri, a recently-released ex-convict and Sam Worthington (“Avatar”) played an older brother trying to keep the kid out of trouble.

Production of “Spit” has got underway in Gold Coast and Brisbane, Queensland and will continue through May.

The new film is directed by ‘Gettin’ Square” and “The Railway Man” director Jonathan Teplitzky, from a screenplay by Queensland-based writer and lawyer Christopher Nyst.

It is produced by Trish Lake of Queensland-based Freshwater Pictures alongside Greg Duffy, Felicity McVay and Wenham. It received major production investment from Screen Australia with local distribution by Transmission Films and international rights sales managed by Moviehouse Entertainment.

In “Spit,’ Spitteri finds himself locked up in...

Upping The Ante

France’s Canal+ Group said that it has increased its stake in multi-territory Asian streaming platform Viu to 30%.

“This additional investment underlines the confidence that Canal+ has in Viu and its teams. It also highlights the determination of Canal+ to make Asia its next growth vector, through its strategic partnership with Pccw, and through an acceleration of growth at Viu, a premium streaming service present in Asia, the Middle East and South Asfrica,” the French group said in a statement. Additionally, it said that its investment in Viu now amounted to some $300 million and that it retains an option to increase its stake to 50%.

In June last year, Canal+ announced that it was to pay $200 million for an initial 26.1% stake in Viu and that it would make a total staggered investment of $300 million.

In results published on Friday, Pccw said: “Viu saw 27% growth in revenue in2023 […] propelled...

World War II is a subject that filmmakers return to every year. In 2023 alone, we saw the U.S. home front tackled at a universal scale in “Oppenheimer,” the sweep of European resistance in “All The Light We Cannot See,” “A Small Light,” and “Transatlantic,” indulged in the action-packed catharsis of a Nazi murder-spree in “Sisu,” and heard, if not saw, the horror of the death camps in “The Zone of Interest.” In 2024, we’re already looking ahead to Guy Ritchie fucking up Nazis in “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.”

More recent series recreate the era, too, including Tom Hanks’ and Steven Spielberg’s final installment in their TV miniseries triumvirate about the American war effort, “Masters of the Air,” Hulu’s Holocaust survival story “We Were the Lucky Ones,” as well as Baz Lurhman’s, Hugh Jackman’s, and Nicole Kidman’s return to sweeping WWII melodrama in “Faraway Downs.

Austin Butler sought professional help to differentiate his own voice from Elvis Presley's after becoming deeply immersed in the role for three years. #ElvisMovie Director Baz Luhrmann considers the possibility of an extended four-hour cut of Elvis, but acknowledges the significant effort and resources required for such a project. #ElvisMovie Austin Butler's intense dedication to his craft shines through as he prepares for his role as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in Dune: Part Two, driven by the fear of missing something and wanting to do his best. #DuneMovie

Austin Butler admitted that his acclaimed portrayal of Elvis Presley, in Baz Luhrmann's 2022 film Elvis, led him to seek professional help to return to his own voice. Butler found himself so immersed in the role that the line between his and Elvis' vocal cadence blurred.

During his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he discussed his role in the Apple...

Sky has released a set of first-look images from ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz,’ featuring Harvey Keitel.

The six-part series is based on the international bestselling novel by Heather Morris. It is inspired by the real-life story of Lali and Gita Sokolov, who met while prisoners in Auschwitz-Birkenau during the Holocaust.

Harvey Keitel as Lali Sokolov and Melanie Lynskey as Heather Morris walking through the streets of Melbourne. (Credit: © Martin Mlaka / Sky UK) Jonah Hauer-King as Lali Sokolov seen here walking through Auschwitz with German-born actor Jonas Nay as Nazi officer Stefan Baretzki, front right. (Credit: © Martin Mlaka / Sky UK)

The following actors appear in the images: Harvey Keitel as Lali Sokolov, Jonah Hauer-King as young Lali Sokolov, Anna Próchniak as Gita Furman, Melanie Lynskey as Heather Morris, and Jonas Nay as Stefan Baretzki.

Also in news – Marlon Wayans set for Jordan Peele’s sports horror ‘Goat’

Jonah Hauer-King as Lali...

Disney+ lacks original shows compared to competitors, but it produces plenty of shows for fans of Marvel or Star Wars. The streaming service relies on its extensive library of Disney content and distributes some original shows on Hulu and FX. Notable shows in 2023 include Faraway Downs, Culprits, The Muppets Mayhem, and Goosebumps.

Disney+ doesn't produce as many original shows as some of its competitors, so its best shows from 2023 are a mixed bag. Since its inception, the streaming service has primarily served as a repository for a century's worth of Disney content, including the company's more recent acquisitions, such as Lucasfilm, Marvel, and 21st Century Fox. The biggest original shows on Disney+ mostly fall under the umbrella of Marvel or Star Wars, but there are some notable exceptions.

Since Disney also owns Hulu and FX, plenty of their original shows find a home away from Disney+. Only Murders in the Building,...

Hulu's original shows in 2023 gained notoriety and pushed the boundaries of quality TV in the streaming market. Successful shows reflect the values and diversity of the modern world and are unafraid to criticize societal issues. Shows like Faraway Downs and The Other Black Girl explore important themes like Indigenous history in Australia and racism in the workplace.

Hulu has always pushed the boundaries of quality TV in the streaming market, and the original shows that aired in 2023 are no exception. Whether they were recurring shows, new premieres, or limited series, Hulu's television lineup remained strong and gained notoriety over the year's season. Putting out original series can sometimes be a financial risk, but when the shows perform well, the reward is always worth it.

Overall, 2023 was an excellent year for television, and the race in the coming award season reflects that. Part of what makes a show stand out is a compelling story,...

Director Baz Luhrmann wants to turn his Elvis biopic into a miniseries, expecting backlash. The original film was a hit, grossing $288 million and receiving multiple Oscar nominations. Luhrmann plans to reimagine the story in a different storytelling style, likening it to musicians reinventing their own songs.

Elvis director Baz Luhrmann wants to turn the Austin Butler biopic into a miniseries (even though he expects backlash). Luhrmann’s flashy musical-biopic take on the life of Elvis Presley was a sensation in the summer of 2022, grossing $288 million worldwide, and making a star out of its charismatic lead actor. The film went on to be nominated for 8 Oscars, including Best Picture, with a Best Actor nod going to Butler himself.

Now over a year after the Elvis movie made hay at the box office while earning critical accolades, director Luhrmann says he wants to reimagine the film as a miniseries, as he did with his 2008 movie Australia,...

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including events for Candy Cane Lane, Origin, Wif Honors and Family Switch.

Renaissance premiere

Beyoncé brought her Renaissance concert film to the big screen on Saturday night with its Los Angeles premiere, attended by a starry list of guests.

Simone Joy Jones, Coco Jones, Gabrielle Union and Tia Mowry Halle Bailey and Chloe Bailey Tina Knowles and Tyler Perry

Candy Cane Lane premiere

Eddie Murphy, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jillian Bell, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Ken Marino, Nick Offerman, Robin Thede and Chris Redd attended the Los Angeles premiere of their Amazon Christmas movie on Tuesday.

Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross Eddie Murphy with Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, and Mike Hopkins, senior vp Prime Video, Amazon MGM Studios and Freevee.

Family Switch premiere

Director McG, star and producer Jennifer Garner and co-stars Ed Helms,...

"Faraway Downs" is a 'reimagining' of director Baz Luhrmann's 2008 feature "Australia", now a 6-part TV miniseries, again starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, currently streaming on Hulu:

"...aristocrat 'Sarah' has a cattle ranch in Australia. 

"Following the death of her husband, a land baron plots to steal her property...

"...but she joins forces with a cattle drover to protect her ranch..."

Click the images to enlarge...

Faraway Downs deepens the indigenous presence with a bigger Aboriginal role in front and behind the camera. The show has a longer run time, with an extra hour of new footage allowing for more time with characters and expanded relationships. The narrative is primarily told from Nullah's perspective, shifting the focus and highlighting the scars left by the Stolen Generations.

Faraway Downs contains a number of noteworthy differences that set it apart from Australia. Fifteen years after the release of Australia, Baz Luhrmann's sweeping tale set in the remote Northern Territory is back. Faraway Downs retells the epic love story, with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman returning to the ambitious new six-part show. Billed initially as a critical and box-office disappointment, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker has re-edited his 2008 melodrama into a story for Hulu, adding nearly an hour of new footage and a completely different ending.

Set shortly before the start of World War II,...

Spoilers are ahead for both Australia (2008) and Faraway Downs.

Faraway Downs rewrites the ending of Australia, killing off Hugh Jackman's character and leaving Nicole Kidman's Lady Ashley alone at the end. Lady Ashley realizes she must let go of her adopted son, Nullah, and embrace her own story, apart from the white savior mindset. The miniseries reveals the Drover's real name as Jack Clancy and emphasizes the importance of claiming one's own story.

It's no secret that director Baz Luhrmann changed the ending of Faraway Downs, the 2023 miniseries that serves as a recut of the movie Australia. Perhaps surprisingly, however, Faraway Downs' ending is different from the feature film in several crucial ways. The new Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman show isn't actually that new. During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Luhrmann had to pause production on Elvis, leading him to explore a trove of unused footage from Australia,...

Faraway Downs is a miniseries that adds 40 minutes of footage to the 2008 movie Australia, making it a more complete story. Nicole Kidman portrays Lady Sarah Ashley, who must save Faraway Downs from King Carney with the help of Nullah and The Drover. The show features a talented cast, including Hugh Jackman as The Drover and Brandon Walters as Nullah, and premiered on Hulu in November 2023.

Faraway Downs' romantic drama is driven by its well-written character, portrayed by a roster of well-known actors. Although Faraway Downs is a six-part miniseries, it premiered as a movie titled Australia in 2008. Even though Australia was not a critical success when it first released in the theaters, director Baz Luhrmann wanted to give it a second chance and complete its story by re-releasing it as a miniseries.

Despite being an episodic version of the 2008 movie, Faraway Downs has some original story elements, adding 40 minutes of footage to Australia.

Faraway Downs is a refurbished version of the original film, Australia, which was released in 2008. Hulu released this film in six episodes, which briefly touches upon the history of the land down under. The movie also touched upon the racism faced by the blacks and Aboriginals of Australia at the hands of the colonizers. The streaming giant took this movie and delivered a series that had scenes that were not initially included in the film. The original film itself was two hours and forty-five minutes long. However, in the series, many new scenes were added to push the narrative forward, and there were a lot of changes in the plotline as well.

Spoilers Ahead

Since Australia is a movie, unlike Faraway Downs, the writer and the director had to depend on a time-bound screenplay. There is an elaborate scene in the show involving Lady Sarah’s landing in Australia, which...

Spoilers ahead for Australia. Additionally, there are vague mentions of Faraway Downs' alternate ending.

Faraway Downs is a six-episode miniseries based on Baz Luhrmann's 2008 film Australia, offering a more in-depth exploration of the movie's plot and themes. The miniseries includes an hour of previously unreleased footage from Australia, adding valuable moments that were lost in the original film. It features an alternate ending that differs from the original cut, with the death of a key character being the biggest difference between the miniseries and the movie.

Fans of Baz Luhrmann's 2008 film Australia might be wondering what Hulu's Faraway Downs is, especially since the new series uses footage from the movie. Directed and co-written by Luhrmann, Australia is an epic adventure drama that's set against the backdrop of World War II, and which centers on three main characters. First, there's Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman), an English aristocrat who...

Faraway Downs is a history drama miniseries created by Baz Luhrmann. The Hulu miniseries revolves around an English aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley, who travels halfway across the world to confront her wayward husband and also to sell a million-acre cattle ranch in the Australian Outback called ‘Faraway Downs.’ But when her husband dies a ruthless Australian cattle baron, King Carney tries to take the ranch illegally, to protect her property she joins hands with a cattle drover. Faraway Downs stars Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Brandon Walters, and Bryan Brown in the lead roles. So, if you loved the Hulu series here are some similar shows you could watch next.

The Son Credit – AMC

Synopsis: The sweeping family saga The Son follows Eli McCullough (Pierce Brosnan) as he builds a Texas oil dynasty.

Frontier (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

Synopsis: The series is an action-packed adventure drama following the chaotic and violent struggle...

Faraway Downs is an Australian period drama about a certain lady who visited the land down under seeking to finalize a sale of her husband’s ranch and bring him back to the UK. Her situation changes when she learns of the politics of the country and the kind of rampant racism that goes along with it. Directed by Baz Luhrmann, this six-episode show was based on the film Australia, which was released in 2008. There is no reason for this film to be re-released by Hulu. This article will take the readers through the journey the woman took and how it changed her perspective on life.

Spoilers Ahead

Why was Lady Sarah Ashley in Australia?

Lady Sarah Ashley was the wife of Lord Maitland Ashley. He was in Australia running a cattle ranch and reaping profits from it, and Lady Sarah was frustrated with her husband’s unwillingness to leave Australia.

Baz Luhrmann’s Australia was a celebrated film of the year 2008, and it secured plenty of Oscar nominations. This was a one-of-a-kind film that did work fifteen years ago, a historical drama that was set against the backdrop of the struggles of the indigenous culture of the country and their fight for recognition. This two-hour, forty-five-minute historical saga has now been released as a six episodes series on Hulu, with many additional subplots and scenes included. Nothing around it has changed except the format, and it was released on the streaming platform on November 26, 2023.

The story of Faraway Downs was like the one presented in the film, with many significant changes made to the re-release. Set in the late 1930s, Lady Sarah Ashley was in Australia seeking her rich husband, Lord Maitland Ashley, who seemed to be running a huge cattle ranch and was facing intense competition in the land down under.

With Faraway Downs, available to stream at Hulu, filmmaker Baz Luhrmann was afforded the very unique opportunity of looking back on his 2008 film Australia and re-editing, reshaping, and recontextualizing it into six chapters. English aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) and the drover (Hugh Jackman) on her million-acre cattle ranch in the Australian Outback are still at the center of the story, drawn into a love affair as they join forces to protect the property. But now, the additional footage expands the story of Nullah (Brandon Walters), a biracial Indigenous Australian child who is part of the Stolen Generations, and allows for a different ending, making this film in chapters feel like a companion piece.

Baz Luhrmann’s 2008 film Australia has gotten a limited series makeover as the movie was re-edited with a massive amount of previously unreleased footage to be a new six-part event on Hulu retitled Faraway Downs. The series is now available, and according to the review by our own Alex Maidy, “Faraway Downs proves that the director’s signature style may be right at home on the small screen in the extended canvas of limited and ongoing series. I enjoyed this version of the tale far more than I did when I saw the original, and I look forward to seeing what this revision will prompt other filmmakers to do with their excised footage and passion projects.”

One possible revision that could be in the works with Baz Luhrmann is an extended cut of his musical biopic, Elvis, featuring a breakthrough performance by the up-and-coming star Austin Butler. Baz Luhrmann recently caught up with Variety,...

15 years ago, an epic romance arrived in movie theaters over the Thanksgiving holiday to a storm of snobbery from critics. No, not Twilight, but Baz Luhrmann’s ode to his down under home, Australia. On this somewhat unceremonious anniversary, he has transformed it into a Hulu limited series, retitled Faraway Downs.

His follow-up to his divisive Best Picture nominee Moulin Rouge!, Luhrmann’s film casts Nicole Kidman as haughty British Lady Sarah who travels to her husband’s Australian cattle ranch at the brink of WWII. There she finds her husband murdered, begins to care for a biracial Aboriginal boy named Nullah (Brandon Walters), and begins to fall for an enigmatic cattleman known enigmatically as The Drover and played by Hugh Jackman at his most beefcake— yes, even by Wolverine standards.

At the beginning of Baz Luhrmann’s Faraway Downs, 12-year-old Aboriginal boy Nullah (Brandon Walters) recounts the abiding lesson his grandfather taught him growing up in the wilderness of the Northern Territory of Australia: “Tell ‘em story.” Over the course of the six-part series, a reimagining of Luhrmann’s 2008 film Australia, story will emerge as one of the four cornerstones of Aboriginal identity, the others being country, song, and dreaming.

Luhrmann uses footage from the film, scenes that were lost to the cutting-room floor, and a modern soundtrack by Indigenous artists to expand the story and give it new depth. The narrative arc of the series, though, remains largely identical to that of Australia: When an English aristocrat, Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman), travels to Australia to convince her husband to sell the titular ranch, she comes into the orbit of a cattle drover named Drover (Hugh Jackman), and after embarking on a journey together,...

Hulu's latest streaming hit Faraway Downs is here, with a star-studded, yet familiar cast. 

The new mini-series is actually Baz Lurhmann's 2008 film Australia extended and cut into six parts, featuring the same characters and storylines seen in the big-screen epic. 

Starring the likes of Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, Faraway Downs tells the story of an English aristocrat who becomes entangled with her Australian cattle ranch following the death of her husband.

Read full article on The Direct.

Plot: The story centers on an English aristocrat, Lady Sarah Ashley, who travels halfway across the world to confront her wayward husband and sell an unusual asset: a million-acre cattle ranch in the Australian Outback called ‘Faraway Downs’. Following the death of her husband, a ruthless Australian cattle baron, King Carney, plots to take her land and she reluctantly joins forces with a rough-hewn cattle drover to protect her ranch. The sweeping adventure romance is explored through the eyes of young Nullah, a bi-racial Indigenous Australian child caught up in the government’s draconian racial policy now referred to as the “Stolen Generations.” Together the trio experiences four life-altering years, a love affair between Lady Ashley and the Drover, and the unavoidable impact of World War II on Northern Australia.

Review: Baz Luhrmann’s films have always defied filmmaking norms. From Romeo + Juliet to Elvis, Moulin Rouge to The Great Gatsby,...

A24 is keeping in business with Halina Reijn.

Following the indie box office success of the Dutch actress-turned-feature-filmmaker’s 2022 word-of-mouth hit “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” A24 has another upcoming project with Reijn. “Babygirl,” the studio announced on November 21, will star Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson in an erotic thriller about a successful CEO who begins an illicit affair with her much younger intern. Antonio Banderas, Sophie Wilde (breakout star of A24’s “Talk to Me”), and Jean Reno also join the cast, IndieWire has confirmed. “Babygirl” will mark Reijn’s second feature film, which she wrote as well.

David Hinojosa of 2Am will produce alongside Reijn of Man Up Film and A24, who is financing the project. Julia Oh, Zach Nutman, and Christine D’Souza Gelb of 2Am will serve as executive producers on “Babygirl.”

Reijn’s satirical slasher “Bodies Bodies Bodies” is already headed for cult classic status since premiering at...

Hulu is celebrating Black Friday early. Right now, the streamer is offering new users subscriptions for just 99¢/month for 12 months! Here’s how to claim the limited-time deal.

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Baz Luhrmann is not the type of filmmaker to repeat himself.

From “Romeo + Juliet” to “Moulin Rouge!” to “Elvis,” his films are each uniquely specific, traversing fresh genre territory in the way that only Baz Luhrmann can. Which is why it’s no surprise that “Faraway Downs,” a newly edited version of Luhrmann’s 2008 film “Australia” that includes nearly an hour of new footage, is anything but a retread.

In fact, Luhrmann was thinking about expanding his melodramatic epic starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman back when the film was being made.

“I think in the back of my mind I thought, ‘Well maybe one day I’ll release it in two parts with an interval,’ because I used to love those epics like ‘Lawrence of Arabia,’” Luhrmann told TheWrap for our “Faraway Downs” digital cover story presented by Hulu.

It’s also not lost on Luhrmann that between...

"Faraway Downs" is a 'reimagining' of director Baz Luhrmann's 2008 feature "Australia", now a 6-part TV miniseries again starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, streaming November 26, 2023 on Hulu:

"...aristocrat 'Sarah' has a cattle ranch in Australia. 

"Following the death of her husband, a land baron plots to steal her property...

"...but she joins forces with a cattle drover to protect her ranch..."

Click the images to enlarge...

It’s somehow November, which means it’s the exact time of year that everyone around you starts saying “How is it November?” Scorpios are out. The sun is not. Winter holidays (and weather) are just around the corner, and the last vestiges of summer energy have withered away.

It’s not all bad though. November is a welcome month for TV fans, with networks and streamers ramping up for big winter premieres and binges. Like every month, IndieWire put together a list of new shows debuting this month, from “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” to “Black Cake” to Brian Cox on a reality competition show, and the return of “Fargo”.

What else is new in November? Book adaptations are still going strong, with “All the Light We Cannot See” and “The Artful Dodger” (an “Oliver Twist” spinoff). “The Buccaneers” comes to Apple TV+ to scratch your “Bridgerton” itch. Nicole Kidman...

Streaming services are now trying to ration their upcoming original content due to the ongoing actors strike and the only recently-resolved writers’ strike, so we’re going to see a thinning-down of new releases across the board over the next six months at least. Hulu will be adding a lot of library TV shows and movies in November, but there are only a few new major original projects hitting the streamer this month.

Hulu’s spotlight streaming series in November is Black Cake, which is based on the bestselling book by Charmaine Wilkerson. Part family drama, part murder mystery, the show features a globetrotting story that will cover decades of events after a bereaved family find a flash drive that contains some shocking secrets about the hidden history of their late matriarch.

Also dropping on Hulu this month is the original film Quiz Lady, starring Sandra Oh, Awkwafina, Jason Schwartzman,...

Though Huluween is almost officially over, Hulu is not slowing down at all as the new month approaches! The streamer will head into November with plenty of new additions to un-spook yourself and keep warm, including the new Awkwafina and Sandra Oh-led “Quiz Lady”; Christmas classics like “National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation” and “The Polar Express,” and much more.

On the TV side, Hulu will have the exclusive two-episode premiere of FX’s limited murder mystery series “A Murder at the End of the World” starring Emma Corrin. “Fargo” fans can also catch the next-day streaming premiere of Season/Year 5, which will star Jon Hamm, Juno Temple, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Plus, in comes more of the debut season of “Spellbound,” a serialized re-cut of Baz Luhrmann’s “Australia,” and several original series premieres, including “Black Cake” on Nov. 1.

Find out everything coming to Hulu in November, and check out The...

While many television movies are inspired by famous films, it has become an increasingly popular trend to take previously existing films and convert them to the television format. Most recently, Baz Luhrmann announced that he would be recutting his 2008 historical epic Australia into the limited television series Faraway Downs, and IFC also revealed that the biopic BlackBerry will air as a three-part limited series on the AMC Network. While changing the format of a film may help it reach a broader audience (who may have a shorter attention span), sometimes the change of medium doesn’t really help. A film is shot to adhere to a specific narrative structure, and changing it into an episodic series of events may run counterintuitive to the original intentions. There’s no better evidence of the difference between the two mediums than The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II. While Francis Ford Coppola...

Baz Luhrmann is regarded as a director whose works have taken the world by storm. The force behind creations such as Elvis, Romeo + Juliet, and The Great Gatsby, the director's talents have been admired by many. However, one project that fell short of Luhrmann's reputation was the 2008 romance epic set in Australia's World War II era, titled Australia. The film received mixed reviews from viewers and was labeled Luhrmann's biggest critical flop by The Guardian. The film was also considered a commercial disappointment, grossing $211 million worldwide against a cost of nearly $130 million.

However, the narrative of Australia now has a chance to redeem itself, thanks to Luhrmann revisiting the storyline and deciding to bring it to screens once again. The latest project, officially tilted Faraway Downs, will spin Australia's plot into a format suitable for a series rather than another film. With the plot of the new project expected...

Before Baz Luhrmann took award season by storm with "Elvis," he made "Australia." If you've forgotten about the 2008 epic starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, you're not alone; the movie wasn't exactly embraced upon release, and while it made plenty of money at the box office, it also became a bit of a punchline among critics that year. As Stephanie Zacharek wrote in a review for Salon, "The second half of 'Australia,' Luhrmann's attempt to pull off a wartime weeper, is so aggressively sentimental that it begins to feel more like punishment than pleasure."

So what does "Australia" have to do with "Faraway Downs"? Well, everything. The upcoming six-episode limited series set to drop on streaming next month has been branded as a reimagining of Luhrmann's movie -- a second stab at his Australian "Gone With The Wind." It's an unusual choice from an always-interesting filmmaker, and we'll know...

Hugh Jackman is running a few errands.

The 55-year-old X-Men actor stopped by a local grocery store to pick up a few things on Thursday afternoon (October 19) in New York City.

Photos: Check out the latest pics of Hugh Jackman

For his outing, Hugh wore a dark gray T-shirt with black sweatpants and sunglasses.

The afternoon before, Hugh was seen wearing a black polo shirt as he stepped out for a solo stroll.

Just recently Hulu debuted the first trailer for Hugh and Nicole Kidman‘s upcoming limited series Faraway Downs.

The project is a 6-chapter re-imagining of the 2008 film Australia! The original film (and this series) are directed by Baz Luhrmann and starred Nicole and Hugh.

It will be released on Hulu on November 26, 2023.

Hulu has revealed the trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s “Faraway Downs” starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. “Faraway Downs” will premiere on Hulu on November 26, 2023.

About the film:

The story centers on an English aristocrat, Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) who travels halfway across the world to confront her wayward husband and sell an unusual asset: a million-acre cattle ranch in the Australian Outback called ‘Faraway Downs’. Following the death of her husband, a ruthless Australian cattle baron, King Carney (Bryan Brown), plots to take her land and she reluctantly joins forces with a rough-hewn cattle drover (Hugh Jackman) to protect her ranch. The sweeping adventure romance 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.” Together the trio experiences four life-altering years, a love affair between Lady Ashley and the Drover,...

Baz Luhrmann’s Faraway Downs, a six-part series cut from his 2008 film Australia, expands the story of English aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman), who travels halfway across the world to confront her wayward husband and sell an unusual asset: Faraway Downs, a million-acre

cattle ranch in the Australian outback.

The post ‘Faraway Downs’ (Trailer) appeared first on If Magazine.