Baz to the future: Director plots new epic as AACTAs lock in the Coast
Queensland could be set for a boost as talks continue over filming a Hollywood blockbuster in the state.
Baz Luhrmann has revealed he is in active talks with Warner Bros. to bring his next major film, the retelling of Joan of Arc, to Queensland.
Luhrmann described the Gold Coast as “the best place in the world” to make movies.
“We are working on bringing it here,” he said.
“You have to do proof of concept, because people don’t immediately look out at these beautiful palm trees and a sunny day here and go like, ‘It’s the Loire Valley.’
Based on Thomas Keneally’s novel Blood Red, Sister Rose, the film will star The Queen’s Gambit breakout Isla Johnston and is being co-written by English screenwriter Ava Pickett. Luhrmann said he is determined to shoot the medieval biopic on the Coast following the success of Elvis, which was filmed entirely in South-East Queensland.
“There was a great deal of cynicism that we could shoot Beale Street for Elvis … I believe that there is no cap on what we can create in this country, and particularly here on the Gold Coast,” he said.
While he jokingly described himself as a maker of “small, independent, low-budget movies,” Luhrmann said filming locally wasn’t just patriotic, it made creative and financial sense.
“I really think it’s best for the film,” he said.
“It’s not just an emotional feeling, of course being here with our collaborators, but I just believe we can get the best on-screen for the money and also the effort.”
The Elvis filmmaker spoke to The Courier-Mail during his appearance at Wednesday’s AACTA 2026 program launch event at HOTA, where the Crisafulli Government confirmed the AACTA Awards will stay on the Gold Coast until at least 2028, extending the partnership for another two years beyond next year’s event.
Adding to the star power, Luhrmann and his wife, four-time Oscar winner Catherine Martin, were unveiled as the newest AACTA Ambassadors, a role the director said held special meaning given his long creative history in Queensland.
“Catherine Martin and I have been connected to AFI/AACTA for over 35 years, since Strictly Ballroom won multiple AFI awards … That’s why we are honoured to be named ambassadors of AACTA, an organisation that does so much to celebrate Australian storytellers and the stories we tell,” he said.
Luhrmann, who attended the HOTA event in person, said being recognised on home soil “just sits in this place that’s different to everything else.”
“Nothing comes close to being acknowledged by your own country,” he said. “The Gold Coast has been our inspiring creative home for the past few years, that we will be holding the Australian premiere of EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert at the AACTA festival.”
The director also praised Queensland’s strong balance between government investment and commercial opportunity.
“We are moving forward in leaps and bounds,” he said. “We have the right balance, I think, between government seeding as well as a commercial aspect. But we must never, ever leave behind emerging creatives and the next generation.”
With Jehanne d’Arc in the works, the AACTAs locked in for another three years and global studios continuing to flock to the region, Luhrmann says the Sunshine State’s film future has never looked brighter.
“Honestly, creativity in the Gold Coast is on an epic scale,” he said. “This is truly a creative environment with creative energy and a creative attitude. That’s an extraordinary thing.”
Originally published as Baz to the future: Director plots new epic as AACTAs lock in the Coast
