Baz Luhrmann’s history of being beaten to the punch: “I was waiting for the right time”
Australian director Baz Luhrmann has had one idea brewing in his mind for over 30 years, intent on adapting the story of Joan of Arc for the big screen as a coming-of-age tale. The story would be loosely based on the novel Blood Red, Sister Rose by Thomas Keneally, but with an expected contemporary twist, with the director creating his name by adapting traditional stories and reframing them through a modern lens. However, the director is keen to work on his lifelong passion project, with previous ideas of his being swept up by other directors before he could bring his ideas to life.
Luhrmann is known for his vividly colourful set pieces and daring interpretation of traditional stories such as Romeo and Juliet and The Great Gatsby, injecting life into each one and encouraging a new generation to appreciate the drama and devastation that can be found in classic literature. After the success of his last project, Elvis, the director is keen to throw himself into Joan of Arc, especially after his previous experiences of being nearly attached to a big project that then went on to be directed by someone else, the Hollywood version of ‘what could’ve been’ that haunts many actors and directors when turning down something that later becomes very successful.
When asked about the ‘almost’ projects that haunt him, the director explained, “I almost did Alexander the Great, and then at one point, I was going down the road on Napoleon.” Unfortunately for Luhrmann, Oliver Stone got to Alexander the Great first, and Ridley Scott unfortunately directed the Napoleon film.
However, perhaps the biggest punch to the guy is that another director is currently adapting Joan of Arc, with Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead role. The production is currently underway in Greece and Bulgaria. It was directed by Romaine Gavras and co-written by one of Succession’s writers, Will Arbery.
Luhrmann described his Joan of Arc adaptation, saying, “I realised I was waiting for the right time to tell this story and the idea of this ultimate teenage girl coming-of-age story set in a 100-year war. She’s a young girl who’s from a small town who manages to tell this 25-year-old king, ‘We’re going to be able to unite the country, and you’ll be king.’ It’s that inspiration, that uplift. It’s like now where the current generation needs to do what the generation before us did, and that is make space, lift up the new voices and the new energy, and make sure that they’re there to smash through this ossified world.”
However, if Luhrmann goes ahead with his own version of the film, then it wouldn’t be the first time that he has released a movie alongside another director about the same person, with his Elvis biopic being released shortly before Sofia Coppola’s film Priscilla. In 2017, The Darkest Hour was released alongside Churchill, with both Gary Oldman and Brian Cox playing the former British Prime Minister,
So, while it all may seem doom and gloom for Luhrmann and his cursed projects that are hijacked by other directors who get there first, it’s a hurdle he has overcome before, and there’s no doubt that he will put his own unique stamp on the story that is wildly different to its counterpart.
