No Gatsby after all?
In interview with The New York Magazine, Baz Luhrmann has said he’s “not doing Gatsby right now”.
“I’m not doing Gatsby right now for this reason [that most of his team is in Brooklyn]. Because despite what might be out there, I have made no comment about anything. So until I say it, it’s not said, you know,” said Luhrmann.
The announcement that Luhrmann would start production of the $120m film in Sydney in August was made by the NSW Government on February 20: “NSW has secured production of Baz Luhrmann’s 3D film The Great Gatsby – injecting more than $120 million into the NSW economy and supporting more than 825 jobs. Sydney has beaten out New York – the actual settling for the classic 1920s story – with pre‑production to begin next month.”
The Vulture section of the publication spoke with Luhrmann at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s gala dinner in honor of Geoffrey Rush’s performance in Diary of a Madman.
it’s listed in IMDB as being filmed in Sydney – but as it’s not due for release till 2012 there is still plenty of time.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343092/
About a month ago Luhrmann told the same publication that he wasn’t making “Gatsby” at all. He does try to be mysterious. Who knows?
Before Baz changes his mind, or makes up his mind, could Screen NSW please fully fund (1) Two $10 million films, (2) Four $5 million films, Ten $2 million films (or a combination of these) and (a) provide work for those who might otherwise have been working on ‘Gatsby’ and (b) films of Australian stories made for Australian audiences by Australians. One caveat: Please make sure that the scripts are ready to go into production – as is rarely the case with most Australian feature films!
If Baz changes his mind, makes up his mind, and the $20 million is not longer there, he’ll just have to wait till next year – if, that is the O’Farrell government deems “Gatsby’ to be a wise and appropriate investment of NSW tax-payer’s money.