Filmmaker Baz Luhrmann arrives in Brisbane for Hugh Jackman’s show ahead of Elvis filming
Acclaimed filmmaker Baz Luhrmann has been spotted in Brisbane as preparations ramp up for his new Elvis movie, and his first stop in Queensland was visiting a famous friend.
Confidential
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FILMMAKER Baz Luhrmann has arrived in Queensland as work ramps up on his ambitious Elvis film in the state.
After arriving in Brisbane from South Korea, the first stop for the acclaimed Australian director was a front-row seat with his wife and costume designing partner Catherine Martin at Hugh Jackman’s show at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Tuesday night.
The couple had given Jackman footage which he aired during his The Man. The Music. The Show. performance.
Baz Luhrmann to film Elvis movie on the Gold Coast
Jackman, who starred in Luhrmann’s 2008 film Australia, offered a tribute to the couple on stage.
“Being a part of your family for that year as we made the movie Australia was one of the highlights of my life, not just my career,” Jackman told the packed Brisbane crowd.
“You’re incredible people and you taught me the great thing that I never forget, that a life lived in fear is a life half lived. I love you guys, thank you so much.”
Griffith Film School student James Marshall spotted Luhrmann in the crowd and snapped a photo, describing him as “incredibly lovely” and “really open to listening”.
Martin, an Oscar-winning costume designer, arrived in Queensland last week where she shared a snap on social media saying: “First day at work on the Gold Coast! Beautiful one day, perfect the next”.
The untitled Warner Bros project, which is expected to employ 900 and inject more than $105 million into the local economy, will star Austin Butler as Elvis and Tom Hanks as his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
In an issue of V Magazine out in New York this week, Luhrmann said he was prepared to take risks on the film.
“Rather than a ‘biopic,’ [I see it] as a canvas,” he told the publication. “It’s hugely ambitious, but I want to [cover] his whole life, many aspects of which will be truly surprising.”
As well as filming the Elvis movie on the Gold Coast, Luhrmann and Martin are patrons at next month’s Brisbane International Film Festival, where they have curated a line-up of films to showcase alongside their hits including Strictly Ballroom (1992) and Moulin Rouge! (2001),
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