Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Australia’ Turned into 5-Hour Limited Series

Baz Luhrmann‘s much-maligned 2008 epic “Australia” is being released as a “director’s cut” limited series on HULU on November 26th, 2023.

Luhrmann (“Elvis” “Moulin Rouge”) has retitled it “Faraway Downs”, and turned it into a six-part series. The project will be assembled entirely from footage Luhrmann shot for “Australia”, with a new ending, different narratives and an updated soundtrack. At the time of Australia’s release, Luhrmann said he had filmed three endings.

The film, which starred Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, was a character story, set between 1939 and 1942 against a dramatised backdrop of events across northern Australia at the time, such as the bombing of Darwin during World War II.

“Australia” received mixed reviews from critics. The film holds a 55% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 223 reviews. It also has a 53 on Metacritic. In his review, the Baltimore Sun’s Michael Sragow wrote, “Luhrmann steals good ideas, fair ideas and terrible ideas - anything that once moved him when he was a little boy. He's turned Australia into a more-than-you-can-eat buffet of colorful kitsch”.

The theatrical cut of “Australia” has a runtime of two hours, 45 minutes. This full six-episode series will run entirely at a little less than 6 hours. Luhrmann calls it a story “with different layers, nuances and even alternative plot twists.”

Luhrmann has completely reimagined “Australia” and this new series is set to premiere at SXSW Sydney on October 21st, 2023. Luhrmann will attend the event and present the film in person on closing night. Here’s Luhrmann’s statement:

“I was inspired to re-approach my film “Australia” and create Faraway Downs because of the way episodic storytelling has been reinvigorated by the streaming world. With over 2 million feet of film from the original piece, my team and I were able to revisit anew the central themes of the work.”

“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,” said Luhrmann in 2022.