Isla Fisher In Talks For Baz Luhrmann's 'The Great Gatsby'

Despite some vague comments about when, exactly, he'll make the film, Baz Luhrmann continues to pull together the cast for his new version of The Great Gatsby. And I have to hand it to him: he's got a hell of a lineup. So far the key roster includes Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, the young wealthy resident of Long Island's West Egg community, and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway, who spends a summer renting a bungalow near Jay's home, leading to a friendship between the two that forms part of the basis for the story.

Carey Mulligan is on board, Ben Affleck may soon be, and now Isla Fisher is in talks for a significant role, too. She should be perfect for it; more details after the break.THR says that the actress would be Myrtle, who is the wife of a gas station owner. Myrtle is having an affair with Tom Buchanan, who will likely be played by Ben Affleck. He, in turn, is married to Carey Mulligan's character Daisy, with whom Jay Gatsby has long been in love.

That leaves me wondering who'll play George, the gas station owner and husband of Myrtle. He's a more minor part than some others in terms of screen time, but is very important when it comes to the conflict that forces the end of the story. George is one of the few fully sympathetic characters in the book, even when driven to fairly extreme measures at the end.

I'm also still wondering why this is planned as a 3D shoot, but Baz Luhrmann is known for a certain excess in his composition and presentation of visual detail, so it makes a certain sense. I can understand how some aspects of the book might lend themselves to 3D; consider the lavish parties thrown by Gatsby, or the billboard that looms over George's gas station, decorated with massive eyes that watch over the action of the story.