The wait has been long for the extended cut ofBaz Luhrmann’sAustralia.It was announced in June last yearthat the extended cut with a new ending will drop as a mini-series titledFaraway Downson Hulu. The series will have a similar premise to the 2008 movie but will have more nuances and unseen footage, and will premiere this November.
‘Faraway Downs’ Expands on Already-Shot Footage
Faraway Downsreimagines the story ofAustraliafrom a new lens. The story will follow Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman), who travels halfway across the world to confront her wayward husband but finds that he was murdered before her arrival. She then inherits a million-acre cattle ranch in the Australian Outback called Faraway Downs. A ruthless cattle baron, King Carney, tries to take her land, but to protect the ranch Lady Sarah joins forces with a cattle drover, played byHugh Jackman. The upcoming series will explore the romance between Lady Sarah and the Drover from the eyes of young Nullah, a bi-racial Indigenous Australian child, who has captivated the childless Lady Sarah. Together they go through four life-altering years, and the unavoidable impact of World War II on Northern Australia.
Luhrmannpreviously describedthe series as a “new variation” ofAustralia, “one with different layers, nuances and even alternative plot twists,” that was made possible due to the episodic format. The original movie used romance and epic drama with the backdrop of events across northern Australia between 1939-1942 such as the bombing of Darwin during World War II to shine a light on the roles of First Nations people and the painful scar in Australian history of the Stolen Generation. It’ll be curious to see how the director elaborates on the same events from a different lens as the mini-series gives a new generation of the audience a peak into the old story.
The mini-series castBen Mendelsohnas Captain Dutton, a Darwin-based Australian Army officer,Bryan Brownas King Carney, a cattle baron and young actorBrandon Waltersas Nullah, a young Aboriginal boy.Faraway Downswill drop on Hulu sometime this November. you’re able to check outAustralia’s trailer below:
