Latest news with #Luhrmann
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Aussie filmmaking royalty in the King's spotlight
It's a long way from the small town of Herons Creek to Hollywood - and to the King's Birthday Honours List. That's been the trail taken by Australia's most commercially successful film director Baz Luhrmann, who grew up in the NSW outback town and on Monday will be appointed a Companion (AC) of the Order of Australia as part of the King's Birthday Honours List. He's been honoured for eminent service to the arts as a filmmaker, to the theatre, to cultural heritage, and to the development of artistic talent. "My personal journey from a small, rural town to the world stage would not have been possible but for those who came before having the vision to support the arts, allowing us to reflect our stories back to ourselves and participate in global culture as Australians," Luhrmann said in a statement to AAP. The 62-year-old came to prominence with 1992's Strictly Ballroom, which was his first screen collaboration with his now wife, award-winning costume designer Catherine Martin, who was responsible for the film's dazzling outfits. Martin, who has won more Oscars than any other Australian, has also been appointed an AC. "I am so honoured to be joining the ranks of so many illustrious Australians, whom I have admired and been inspired by," she said. "Being recognised in your home country is especially meaningful." Martin has won four Academy Awards, two each for Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby, from a total of nine nominations. She has been recognised for eminent service to the arts, to costume, production and set design, and to fostering emerging artistic talent. After Strictly Ballroom put Luhrmann and Martin on the global stage, they followed up with the sumptuous 1996 feature Romeo + Juliet, and 2001's Moulin Rouge!. Then came 2008's Australia starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, and 2013's The Great Gatsby, with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role. After a foray into television, Luhrmann returned to the big screen in 2022 with the biopic Elvis starring Austin Butler. Martin and her team made 90 costumes for the Elvis character, and more than 9000 outfits for extras in the film's many concert scenes. Luhrmann has most recently been in Los Angeles for Sony's Music Vision Content Showcase, which featured his release EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, based on previously unseen recordings. The project is not quite a documentary or a concert film, Luhrmann told the showcase audience. "We call it EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, and he will sing and tell his story like never before. He will tell it. Because what was remarkable is that we found audio of Elvis talking about his life." Researchers unearthed a massive 68 boxes of film negative in the Warners Bros. film vaults, as well as unseen 8mm footage of Elvis, which has since been restored. As for projects in the pipeline, Luhrmann is reportedly working on another biopic, this time about Joan of Arc and based on a novel by fellow Australian Thomas Keneally. Meanwhile Martin has recently directed a short film titled Grande Envie, for luxury fashion label Miu Miu's Upcycled collection. It's a long way from the small town of Herons Creek to Hollywood - and to the King's Birthday Honours List. That's been the trail taken by Australia's most commercially successful film director Baz Luhrmann, who grew up in the NSW outback town and on Monday will be appointed a Companion (AC) of the Order of Australia as part of the King's Birthday Honours List. He's been honoured for eminent service to the arts as a filmmaker, to the theatre, to cultural heritage, and to the development of artistic talent. "My personal journey from a small, rural town to the world stage would not have been possible but for those who came before having the vision to support the arts, allowing us to reflect our stories back to ourselves and participate in global culture as Australians," Luhrmann said in a statement to AAP. The 62-year-old came to prominence with 1992's Strictly Ballroom, which was his first screen collaboration with his now wife, award-winning costume designer Catherine Martin, who was responsible for the film's dazzling outfits. Martin, who has won more Oscars than any other Australian, has also been appointed an AC. "I am so honoured to be joining the ranks of so many illustrious Australians, whom I have admired and been inspired by," she said. "Being recognised in your home country is especially meaningful." Martin has won four Academy Awards, two each for Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby, from a total of nine nominations. She has been recognised for eminent service to the arts, to costume, production and set design, and to fostering emerging artistic talent. After Strictly Ballroom put Luhrmann and Martin on the global stage, they followed up with the sumptuous 1996 feature Romeo + Juliet, and 2001's Moulin Rouge!. Then came 2008's Australia starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, and 2013's The Great Gatsby, with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role. After a foray into television, Luhrmann returned to the big screen in 2022 with the biopic Elvis starring Austin Butler. Martin and her team made 90 costumes for the Elvis character, and more than 9000 outfits for extras in the film's many concert scenes. Luhrmann has most recently been in Los Angeles for Sony's Music Vision Content Showcase, which featured his release EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, based on previously unseen recordings. The project is not quite a documentary or a concert film, Luhrmann told the showcase audience. "We call it EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, and he will sing and tell his story like never before. He will tell it. Because what was remarkable is that we found audio of Elvis talking about his life." Researchers unearthed a massive 68 boxes of film negative in the Warners Bros. film vaults, as well as unseen 8mm footage of Elvis, which has since been restored. As for projects in the pipeline, Luhrmann is reportedly working on another biopic, this time about Joan of Arc and based on a novel by fellow Australian Thomas Keneally. Meanwhile Martin has recently directed a short film titled Grande Envie, for luxury fashion label Miu Miu's Upcycled collection. It's a long way from the small town of Herons Creek to Hollywood - and to the King's Birthday Honours List. That's been the trail taken by Australia's most commercially successful film director Baz Luhrmann, who grew up in the NSW outback town and on Monday will be appointed a Companion (AC) of the Order of Australia as part of the King's Birthday Honours List. He's been honoured for eminent service to the arts as a filmmaker, to the theatre, to cultural heritage, and to the development of artistic talent. "My personal journey from a small, rural town to the world stage would not have been possible but for those who came before having the vision to support the arts, allowing us to reflect our stories back to ourselves and participate in global culture as Australians," Luhrmann said in a statement to AAP. The 62-year-old came to prominence with 1992's Strictly Ballroom, which was his first screen collaboration with his now wife, award-winning costume designer Catherine Martin, who was responsible for the film's dazzling outfits. Martin, who has won more Oscars than any other Australian, has also been appointed an AC. "I am so honoured to be joining the ranks of so many illustrious Australians, whom I have admired and been inspired by," she said. "Being recognised in your home country is especially meaningful." Martin has won four Academy Awards, two each for Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby, from a total of nine nominations. She has been recognised for eminent service to the arts, to costume, production and set design, and to fostering emerging artistic talent. After Strictly Ballroom put Luhrmann and Martin on the global stage, they followed up with the sumptuous 1996 feature Romeo + Juliet, and 2001's Moulin Rouge!. Then came 2008's Australia starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, and 2013's The Great Gatsby, with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role. After a foray into television, Luhrmann returned to the big screen in 2022 with the biopic Elvis starring Austin Butler. Martin and her team made 90 costumes for the Elvis character, and more than 9000 outfits for extras in the film's many concert scenes. Luhrmann has most recently been in Los Angeles for Sony's Music Vision Content Showcase, which featured his release EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, based on previously unseen recordings. The project is not quite a documentary or a concert film, Luhrmann told the showcase audience. "We call it EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, and he will sing and tell his story like never before. He will tell it. Because what was remarkable is that we found audio of Elvis talking about his life." Researchers unearthed a massive 68 boxes of film negative in the Warners Bros. film vaults, as well as unseen 8mm footage of Elvis, which has since been restored. As for projects in the pipeline, Luhrmann is reportedly working on another biopic, this time about Joan of Arc and based on a novel by fellow Australian Thomas Keneally. Meanwhile Martin has recently directed a short film titled Grande Envie, for luxury fashion label Miu Miu's Upcycled collection. It's a long way from the small town of Herons Creek to Hollywood - and to the King's Birthday Honours List. That's been the trail taken by Australia's most commercially successful film director Baz Luhrmann, who grew up in the NSW outback town and on Monday will be appointed a Companion (AC) of the Order of Australia as part of the King's Birthday Honours List. He's been honoured for eminent service to the arts as a filmmaker, to the theatre, to cultural heritage, and to the development of artistic talent. "My personal journey from a small, rural town to the world stage would not have been possible but for those who came before having the vision to support the arts, allowing us to reflect our stories back to ourselves and participate in global culture as Australians," Luhrmann said in a statement to AAP. The 62-year-old came to prominence with 1992's Strictly Ballroom, which was his first screen collaboration with his now wife, award-winning costume designer Catherine Martin, who was responsible for the film's dazzling outfits. Martin, who has won more Oscars than any other Australian, has also been appointed an AC. "I am so honoured to be joining the ranks of so many illustrious Australians, whom I have admired and been inspired by," she said. "Being recognised in your home country is especially meaningful." Martin has won four Academy Awards, two each for Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby, from a total of nine nominations. She has been recognised for eminent service to the arts, to costume, production and set design, and to fostering emerging artistic talent. After Strictly Ballroom put Luhrmann and Martin on the global stage, they followed up with the sumptuous 1996 feature Romeo + Juliet, and 2001's Moulin Rouge!. Then came 2008's Australia starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, and 2013's The Great Gatsby, with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role. After a foray into television, Luhrmann returned to the big screen in 2022 with the biopic Elvis starring Austin Butler. Martin and her team made 90 costumes for the Elvis character, and more than 9000 outfits for extras in the film's many concert scenes. Luhrmann has most recently been in Los Angeles for Sony's Music Vision Content Showcase, which featured his release EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, based on previously unseen recordings. The project is not quite a documentary or a concert film, Luhrmann told the showcase audience. "We call it EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, and he will sing and tell his story like never before. He will tell it. Because what was remarkable is that we found audio of Elvis talking about his life." Researchers unearthed a massive 68 boxes of film negative in the Warners Bros. film vaults, as well as unseen 8mm footage of Elvis, which has since been restored. As for projects in the pipeline, Luhrmann is reportedly working on another biopic, this time about Joan of Arc and based on a novel by fellow Australian Thomas Keneally. Meanwhile Martin has recently directed a short film titled Grande Envie, for luxury fashion label Miu Miu's Upcycled collection.
West Australian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Aussie filmmaking royalty in the King's spotlight
It's a long way from the small town of Herons Creek to Hollywood - and to the King's Birthday Honours List. That's been the trail taken by Australia's most commercially successful film director Baz Luhrmann, who grew up in the NSW outback town and on Monday will be appointed a Companion (AC) of the Order of Australia as part of the King's Birthday Honours List. He's been honoured for eminent service to the arts as a filmmaker, to the theatre, to cultural heritage, and to the development of artistic talent. "My personal journey from a small, rural town to the world stage would not have been possible but for those who came before having the vision to support the arts, allowing us to reflect our stories back to ourselves and participate in global culture as Australians," Luhrmann said in a statement to AAP. The 62-year-old came to prominence with 1992's Strictly Ballroom, which was his first screen collaboration with his now wife, award-winning costume designer Catherine Martin, who was responsible for the film's dazzling outfits. Martin, who has won more Oscars than any other Australian, has also been appointed an AC. "I am so honoured to be joining the ranks of so many illustrious Australians, whom I have admired and been inspired by," she said. "Being recognised in your home country is especially meaningful." Martin has won four Academy Awards, two each for Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby, from a total of nine nominations. She has been recognised for eminent service to the arts, to costume, production and set design, and to fostering emerging artistic talent. After Strictly Ballroom put Luhrmann and Martin on the global stage, they followed up with the sumptuous 1996 feature Romeo + Juliet, and 2001's Moulin Rouge!. Then came 2008's Australia starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, and 2013's The Great Gatsby, with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role. After a foray into television, Luhrmann returned to the big screen in 2022 with the biopic Elvis starring Austin Butler. Martin and her team made 90 costumes for the Elvis character, and more than 9000 outfits for extras in the film's many concert scenes. Luhrmann has most recently been in Los Angeles for Sony's Music Vision Content Showcase, which featured his release EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, based on previously unseen recordings. The project is not quite a documentary or a concert film, Luhrmann told the showcase audience. "We call it EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, and he will sing and tell his story like never before. He will tell it. Because what was remarkable is that we found audio of Elvis talking about his life." Researchers unearthed a massive 68 boxes of film negative in the Warners Bros. film vaults, as well as unseen 8mm footage of Elvis, which has since been restored. As for projects in the pipeline, Luhrmann is reportedly working on another biopic, this time about Joan of Arc and based on a novel by fellow Australian Thomas Keneally. Meanwhile Martin has recently directed a short film titled Grande Envie, for luxury fashion label Miu Miu's Upcycled collection.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Aussie filmmaking royalty in the King's spotlight
It's a long way from the small town of Herons Creek to Hollywood - and to the King's Birthday Honours List. That's been the trail taken by Australia's most commercially successful film director Baz Luhrmann, who grew up in the NSW outback town and on Monday will be appointed a Companion (AC) of the Order of Australia as part of the King's Birthday Honours List. He's been honoured for eminent service to the arts as a filmmaker, to the theatre, to cultural heritage, and to the development of artistic talent. "My personal journey from a small, rural town to the world stage would not have been possible but for those who came before having the vision to support the arts, allowing us to reflect our stories back to ourselves and participate in global culture as Australians," Luhrmann said in a statement to AAP. The 62-year-old came to prominence with 1992's Strictly Ballroom, which was his first screen collaboration with his now wife, award-winning costume designer Catherine Martin, who was responsible for the film's dazzling outfits. Martin, who has won more Oscars than any other Australian, has also been appointed an AC. "I am so honoured to be joining the ranks of so many illustrious Australians, whom I have admired and been inspired by," she said. "Being recognised in your home country is especially meaningful." Martin has won four Academy Awards, two each for Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby, from a total of nine nominations. She has been recognised for eminent service to the arts, to costume, production and set design, and to fostering emerging artistic talent. After Strictly Ballroom put Luhrmann and Martin on the global stage, they followed up with the sumptuous 1996 feature Romeo + Juliet, and 2001's Moulin Rouge!. Then came 2008's Australia starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, and 2013's The Great Gatsby, with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role. After a foray into television, Luhrmann returned to the big screen in 2022 with the biopic Elvis starring Austin Butler. Martin and her team made 90 costumes for the Elvis character, and more than 9000 outfits for extras in the film's many concert scenes. Luhrmann has most recently been in Los Angeles for Sony's Music Vision Content Showcase, which featured his release EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, based on previously unseen recordings. The project is not quite a documentary or a concert film, Luhrmann told the showcase audience. "We call it EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, and he will sing and tell his story like never before. He will tell it. Because what was remarkable is that we found audio of Elvis talking about his life." Researchers unearthed a massive 68 boxes of film negative in the Warners Bros. film vaults, as well as unseen 8mm footage of Elvis, which has since been restored. As for projects in the pipeline, Luhrmann is reportedly working on another biopic, this time about Joan of Arc and based on a novel by fellow Australian Thomas Keneally. Meanwhile Martin has recently directed a short film titled Grande Envie, for luxury fashion label Miu Miu's Upcycled collection.
West Australian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
King's Birthday Honours: Aussie filmmaking royalty Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin in the King's spotlight
It's a long way from the small town of Herons Creek to Hollywood — and to the King's Birthday Honours List. That's been the trail taken by Australia's most commercially successful film director Baz Luhrmann, who grew up in the NSW outback town and on Monday will be appointed a Companion (AC) of the Order of Australia as part of the King's Birthday Honours List. He's been honoured for eminent service to the arts as a filmmaker, to the theatre, to cultural heritage, and to the development of artistic talent. 'My personal journey from a small, rural town to the world stage would not have been possible but for those who came before having the vision to support the arts, allowing us to reflect our stories back to ourselves and participate in global culture as Australians,' Luhrmann said in a statement to AAP. The 62-year-old came to prominence with 1992's Strictly Ballroom, which was his first screen collaboration with his now wife, award-winning costume designer Catherine Martin, who was responsible for the film's dazzling outfits. Martin, who has won more Oscars than any other Australian, has also been appointed an AC. 'I am so honoured to be joining the ranks of so many illustrious Australians, whom I have admired and been inspired by,' she said. 'Being recognised in your home country is especially meaningful.' Martin has won four Academy Awards, two each for Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby, from a total of nine nominations. She has been recognised for eminent service to the arts, to costume, production and set design, and to fostering emerging artistic talent. After Strictly Ballroom put Luhrmann and Martin on the global stage, they followed up with the sumptuous 1996 feature Romeo + Juliet, and 2001's Moulin Rouge!. Then came 2008's Australia starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, and 2013's The Great Gatsby, with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role. After a foray into television, Luhrmann returned to the big screen in 2022 with the biopic Elvis starring Austin Butler. Martin and her team made 90 costumes for the Elvis character, and more than 9000 outfits for extras in the film's many concert scenes. Luhrmann has most recently been in Los Angeles for Sony's Music Vision Content Showcase, which featured his release EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, based on previously unseen recordings. The project is not quite a documentary or a concert film, Luhrmann told the showcase audience. 'We call it EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, and he will sing and tell his story like never before. He will tell it. Because what was remarkable is that we found audio of Elvis talking about his life.' Researchers unearthed a massive 68 boxes of film negative in the Warners Bros. film vaults, as well as unseen 8mm footage of Elvis, which has since been restored. As for projects in the pipeline, Luhrmann is reportedly working on another biopic, this time about Joan of Arc and based on a novel by fellow Australian Thomas Keneally. Meanwhile Martin has recently directed a short film titled Grande Envie, for luxury fashion label Miu Miu's Upcycled collection.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Elvis + Baz = EPiC: Everything we know about Baz Luhrmann's upcoming Elvis Presley film
"EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert." That's the title of director Baz Luhrmann's upcoming movie — a title both obvious and brilliant, with an acronym so inevitable it's a shock nobody thought of it before. Here's what we know so far about the project, which if nothing else offers more evidence that Elvis — who died almost 50 years ago — has never really "left the building." (You can find him and his music in movie houses right now, referenced throughout Disney's new live-action "Lilo & Stitch," which in just two weeks of release has become the second biggest box-office hit of 2025, behind "A Minecraft Movie.") We'll use Elvis song titles for this story's "chapters." In 2022, Australian director Baz Luhrmann released his sixth feature film, "Elvis," an inventive and, yes, epic biopic about the King of Rock 'n' Roll. The movie was a hip-shaking runaway hit, grossing close to $290 million at the worldwide box office and earning eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Austin Butler, who was propelled to stardom). Shot over the course of a year in Australia, the film's production was grueling, and had been preceded by years of research that included multiple trips by Luhrmann and his staff to the Graceland archives and other Elvis sites. Nevertheless, Luhrmann, after the release of "Elvis," almost immediately began teasing plans for an Elvis documentary, to make use of the extensive footage and audio he uncovered that had not previously been seen or heard by the public. Elvis Presley Enterprises managing partner Joel Weinshanker confirmed that Luhrmann was working on a second Elvis film during an Elvis Week panel discussion at the Graceland Soundstage in 2024. 'I probably really shouldn't say that,' Weinshanker cracked, after letting the cat — or "Hillbilly Cat," to cite one of Elvis' 1950s nicknames — out of the bag. 'Oops — sorry, Baz." Later, it was revealed that the documentary would be a project of Sony Music Vision; Bazmark, the company founded by Luhrmann and his wife, designer/producer Catherine Martin; and a new production company, Authentic Studios, an offshoot of Weinshanker's Authentic Brands Group, which licenses "likeness" rights for such celebrities as Marilyn Monroe and Muhammad Ali. ELVIS AT 90: Decade-by-decade milestones in the life — and afterlife — of the King Luhrmann announced that his new Elvis film will be titled "EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert" on May 29 — first on his Instagram account, then onstage at the Sony Music Vision "content showcase" in Los Angeles, an event that also touted such upcoming projects as a Barbra Streisand documentary and a concert tour film about the rock band Oasis. Also on Instagram, Luhrmann shared a brief montage of Elvis-in-concert footage. "During the making of ELVIS, we went on a search for rumored unseen footage from the iconic 1970s concert films Elvis: That's The Way It Is and Elvis on Tour," he wrote, in a May 30 Instagram letter to fans. "I had researchers go into the Warners Bros. film vaults buried in underground salt mines and, to the astonishment of all, we uncovered 68 boxes of film negative, as well as unseen 8mm footage. It has taken two years to restore the footage to a quality that it has never been projected at previously, while the team had to meticulously claw back sound from the many, unconventional sources that were also unearthed. One of the great finds has been unheard recordings of Elvis talking about his life and his music." Luhrmann said the film will weave "never-before-seen footage" with "iconic performances that have never been presented in this way, from the 1970 Vegas show, on tour in 1972 and even precious moments of the 1957 'gold jacket' performance in Hawaii. Most importantly, Elvis will sing and tell you about his life in first person, through both classic and contemporary musical prisms.' So, Luhrmann is crafting the definitive Elvis-in-concert documentary, eh? Not so fast. On Instagram, the director wrote that "EPiC" is "not specifically a documentary, nor a concert film." In an interview with the entertainment website, Deadline, he added: "Our aim is to make something new in the Elvis canon." "EPiC" will "bring something to the screen that befits the magnitude of Elvis as a performer but also offers deeper revelations of his humanity and inner life," Luhrmann told Deadline. Sonically speaking, the director's reference to "classic and contemporary musical prisms" on his Instagram post suggests the film could contain radically remixed Elvis recordings and diverse covers of Elvis songs, much as the biopic "Elvis" incorporated hip-hop and other post-Elvis forms into the soundtrack, to suggest the timeless nature and continuing influence of Presley's music. Wrestling those 68 boxes of footage and all the rest of the tape into feature film form will be a formidable if fascinating challenge for Luhrmann and editor Jonathan Redmond (who was Oscar-nominated for his editing of "Elvis," and also edited Luhrmann's 2013 version of "The Great Gatsby"). It seems certain that Luhrmann — an advocate of the big-screen, big-sound experience — will insist that the movie receive a theatrical run before it becomes available for home viewing, but no release date has been announced. Our bet would be late 2026 or 2027, to tie the movie in with the hoopla that will accompany Graceland's recognition of the 50th anniversary of Presley's death on Aug. 16, 1977, at the age of 42. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: New Elvis film from Baz Luhrmann will be 'EPiC': Everything we know
