Monday, November 03, 2008

23 Days Until Australia Opens...

...and how many more after that until someone gives Hugh Jackman a movie musical role at last? Here he is performing Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard on Australian television some years back...



It may not be much of a song but he still sells it. Bless him.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ahh...can't wait for the Baz/NK tandem!!!!Hugh looks so hot!!!

Rob said...

Hmmm, are you looking forward to this "Australia" movie, Nat?

Glenn said...

Rob, nice one.

Nat, Jackman has apparently been cast in that crazy 3D Cleopatra musical.

Anonymous said...

He rocks. The song rocks. The show rocks. It rocks.

Rob

Anonymous said...

Anne Thompson at Variety reports that she spoke to director Steven Soderburgh, and Cleo starts filming in April.

Janice said...

Glenn, isn't that still supposition and rumor at this point? Or has someone come forward and said he's been cast?

I would love to see Hugh in a musical (damn it, Baz) but Cleopatra in 3-D? With Catherine Zeta Jones? Ok, she can sing and dance and rocked my world in Chicago but - Cleopatra? In 3-D? I know Soderbergh is a "respected" filmmaker (who does throwaway crap like Ocean's ForeverWhatever to fund his "little" films) but isn't there such a thing as not letting a director's ego run wild and saying "Uh, Steve, do you really think that's a good idea?" (We shall see in a few days what Baz's ego has wrought, but this whole idea of "I'm an artiste, I'm untouchable and can do whatever I want" is starting to get a little out of hand, methinks. Particularly when there are directors out there still struggling to get there work funded or just get a damn job in the first place.)

Janice said...

I meant "their work funded" of course.

Marcello Talone said...

i disagree, i love to see some directors going crazy in their own mind. the movies can be flawed, but they are fascinating.
just like kaufman in synecdoche, new york; richard kelly in southland tales; lynch in inland empire...

Anonymous said...

3 hours Baz? Uh-oh.

Anonymous said...

Soderberg told Thompson that "his inspiration for the 3D musical was Rita Hayworth as Gilda. That's the stylized, ripe tone he's going for" - plus the movie is set in the 1920s. It was also reported at Empire at http://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=23543:

"Soderbergh is clearly delighted to have secured the services of Zeta-Jones (with whom he's worked before, on Traffic and Ocean's Twelve) and Jackman as his leads. After all, they have a background in musicals, and Zeta-Jones' Oscar came, of course, for Chicago. “They've got great voices,” said Soderbergh. “I've seen them live and they're amazing. Now we need a Caesar.”

So it sounds like Hugh is doing this.

Anonymous said...

How is "Australia" an ego trip for Baz? It's a love letter to his home country... a chance for cinema to become magical again.

I'm wondering if Hugh and Nic will do a song for the movie? Like a Titanic theme song... I sure hope so!

Glenn Dunks said...

Anon, seriously?! Why the "uh oh"?

Have we not established that some of the greatest movies ever are three hours long. Unless you're unable to concentrate for that long, in which case I imagine a Baz Luhrmann movie is not for you.

I JUST GOT MY TICKETS FOR OPENING NIGHT!!!! WEEEEE!!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, that's what it said. Uh-oh. It's not a commentary on what the film will be like (the length could be justified or not, we don't know sight-unseen), but in terms of box office and viewer appeal, most don't want to sit through that runtime for any kind of film unless it's absolutely justified, and even then you'll still get some complaining about the length. That comment had nothing to do with the history of films that have been that long in the past -- that wasn't the point of what I said. And don't be concerned with how I'm able to "concentrate" with my film viewing either. I've seen plenty of lengthy films before -- some were worth it, and some certainly weren't. I'll watch "Australia" b/c of Baz Luhrmann and the cast and my general interest, but I do think that a 3-hour film for an already tough sell of subject matter will be an issue.