One of Nicole Kidman’s most disappointing films may be coming back to haunt her. Following the success of 2001’s “Moulin Rouge!” the Oscar winner joined Hugh Jackman and reunited with director Baz Luhrmann for the 2009 period epic, “Australia.” The movie earned middling reviews, but more importantly, was a box office bomb earning just $211 million worldwide off a reportedly $130 million budget. It was such a miss, that it ended Luhrmann’s streak at (then) 20th Century Fox, where he’d effectively launched his career as a global commercial filmmaker. Fresh off the success of “Elvis,” Luhrmann has gone back into the editing room and transformed “Australia” into “Faraway Downs,” a limited series that will debut at SXSW Sydney on Oct. 21.
READ MORE: ‘Faraway Downs’: Baz Luhrmann’s Six-Part ‘Australia’ Re-Edit Will Hit Hulu This Winter With A New Ending & New Soundtrack
In a statement from the festival, Luhrmann notes, “I was inspired to re-approach my film ‘Australia’ to create ‘Faraway Downs’ because of the way episodic storytelling has been reinvigorated by the streaming world. With over two million feet of film from the original piece, my team and I were able to revisit anew the central themes of the work. I am honored to world premiere ‘Faraway Downs’ in Australia, the place that has inspired me and my work my entire life, and with a partner like SXSW who deeply recognizes the intersection of film, television, and music with storytelling.”
Colin Daniels, SXSW Sydney Managing Director, added, “We are so happy to be sharing the creative work of Baz Luhrmann and the entire “Faraway Downs” team at Australia’s first ever SXSW Sydney.”
Set in 1939 on the eve of World War II, Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman) travels halfway across the world to confront her husband and arrange the sale of a million-acre cattle farm, Faraway Downs, in the Australian “West” of Queensland. After his unexpected passing, she finds herself joining forces with the ranch’s rough-and-tumble drover (Hugh Jackman) to stop a ruthless cattle baron, King Carney (Bryan Brown), from taking her land.
The movie was often told through the eyes of young Nullah (Brandon Walters), an Indigenous Australian child caught up in the government’s horrific racial policy now referred to as the Stolen Generations. How Luhrmann has changed the perspective of the project now that it’s six episodes remains to be seen.
The limited series project was first announced over a year ago and will debut on Hulu in the United States and Disney+ worldwide on Nov. 26.