Rumors have been swirling for ages about Baz
Luhrmann's next film, codenamed "Project Oklahoma." Though the director hadn't previously said a damn
thing about the movie, it's understood that Nicole
Kidman and Russell
Crowe will star, and the word "epic" has been thrown around a lot. Now, thanks to a series of interviews
Luhrmann recently gave the Australian press, we finally have some answers (and no, it's not a musical).The untitled film will be set in Australia, and will take place between the mid-1930s and the Japanese bombing of Darwin during World War II. It will focus on native Australian locations rather than relying on effects and, though Luhrmann gave no details about the characters that Kidman and Crowe will play, he compared his film - which he's been discussing with the actors for nearly a decade - to Gone with the Wind (it's just that romantic) and Lawrence of Arabia (it's just that sprawling and gorgeous). Additionally, the director put out a casting call for "an indigenous boy, aged 7-10," who will reportedly play a major part in the movie.
The film's rumored budget is about $40 million Australian (almost $30 million US), and both of its stars are expected to take major pay cuts in order to appear. In order to beat the rainy season in northern Australia, shooting must being by this August; rehearsals will start as early as March.
