Baz Luhrmann's Faraway Downs - Release Date, Cast, Plot And More Info
Before Baz Luhrmann took award season by storm with "Elvis," he made "Australia." If you've forgotten about the 2008 epic starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, you're not alone; the movie wasn't exactly embraced upon release, and while it made plenty of money at the box office, it also became a bit of a punchline among critics that year. As Stephanie Zacharek wrote in a review for Salon, "The second half of 'Australia,' Luhrmann's attempt to pull off a wartime weeper, is so aggressively sentimental that it begins to feel more like punishment than pleasure."
So what does "Australia" have to do with "Faraway Downs"? Well, everything. The upcoming six-episode limited series set to drop on streaming next month has been branded as a reimagining of Luhrmann's movie – a second stab at his Australian "Gone With The Wind." It's an unusual choice from an always-interesting filmmaker, and we'll know soon enough whether or not "Faraway Downs" will be an improvement on the original. In the meantime, here's everything you need to know about the new series.
When does Faraway Downs premiere?
"Faraway Downs" hits Hulu on November 26, 2023. For Americans, that'll be the Sunday after Thanksgiving, an always-promising time slot for any new release as families across the country are likely to be throwing something new on in a turkey-induced fog. Most Hulu releases appear on the streamer around 12:00am PT, so that's when you can likely expect to see all six episodes of "Faraway Downs" available to watch.
Viewers outside of America will likely be looking towards Disney+ for the new release, as Disney-owned Hulu isn't available in most countries. Plus, thanks to Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019, most of the Fox films on streaming (of which "Australia" is one) are exclusive to Hulu and Disney+. If you don't have either streamer yet and want to check out the series, Hulu and Disney+ are now available as a bundle with or without ads.
What are the plot details of Faraway Downs?
A Western, romance, and war epic hybrid, "Faraway Downs" will follow much of the same plot as "Australia," but with a few key (and not-yet-revealed) changes. The movie's story centers around newly widowed Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman), an Englishwoman who inherits the titular cattle ranch after her husband's untimely death. There, she meets a biracial Aboriginal child named Nullah (Brandon Walters) and a cattle driver played by Hugh Jackman, forming an unlikely bond with them both.
As the trailer for "Faraway Downs" shows, the trio's cattle-rearing adventures are cut short by the encroachment of World War II, including the Bombing of Darwin in 1942. Authorities also threaten to take Nullah away for the sake of turning the Indigenous child Christian (part of a dark period of Australian history now referred to as The Stolen Generation), though Lady Sarah is having none of it. According to Luhrmann's own statements about the series, it seems like the newly repurposed footage may dig deeper into the storylines of its Aboriginal characters.
"I originally set out to take the notion of the sweeping, 'Gone With the Wind'-style epic and turn it on its head — a way of using romance and epic drama to shine a light on the roles of First Nations people and the painful scar in Australian history of the 'Stolen Generations,' " Luhrmann said in a statement shared by People. He also notes that the new version of the story will feature "different layers, nuances, and even alternative plot twists" that the original didn't. Specifically, Luhrmann has apparently promised a new ending.
Who is the cast of Faraway Downs?
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman star in "Faraway Downs," although you shouldn't expect them to look like they do today; according to People, the project is repurposing footage shot for the 2008 film, including plenty of unused footage. In the years since the movie's initial release, both Kidman and Jackman have made some of their finest works, and they show no signs of stopping. Kidman is set to appear next in the mystery series "The Perfect Couple" and the DC movie "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" (among several other things), while Jackman will return as Wolverine in "Deadpool 3."
The central trio of "Faraway Downs" is rounded out by actor Brandon Walters, who made his on-screen debut as Nullah and has since appeared in the shows "Mystery Road" and "Operation Buffalo." Talented Yolngu performer David Dalaithngu, who starred in movies including "Walkabout," "The Tracker," and "Crocodile Dundee" and passed away in 2021 (his name has been changed here in accordance with Aboriginal tradition), also appears in the series.
Though it's possible that Luhrmann could cut entire characters out of the revamped story, it's worth noting that the cast of "Australia" also includes David Wenham ("The Lord of the Rings"), Bryan Brown ("The Thorn Birds"), Jack Thompson ("The Great Gatsby"), a pre-Marvel and Star Wars Ben Mendelsohn, and Dalaithngu's "Rabbit-Proof Fence" co-star, a Yamatji Aboriginal actor who has also since passed.
Who is the director of Faraway Downs?
As mentioned, "Faraway Downs" is directed by Baz Luhrmann, the filmmaker behind such dazzlingly chaotic films as "Elvis," "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet," "The Great Gatsby," "Moulin Rouge!" and more. Luhrmann explained what drew him to the ideas behind "Australia" for a piece in The Guardian in 2008, writing:
"The film is called 'Australia' but it's not in any way meant to be a definitive expression of this country. Everything in the film is drawn from reality and factual research, but all of it is in service of a greater romantic gesture. It's a mythologised Australia."
Luhrmann also compared Lady Sarah's journey to that of Meryl Streep's character in "Out of Africa," and has mentioned "Gone With The Wind" as a reference point, too. While the original version of "Australia" may have been a bit too overstuffed to pull off every ambitious part of Luhrmann's vision, a six-episode miniseries should have more room to breathe. In a statement, the director called the series "a new variation on 'Australia' for audiences to discover."
Who are the writers and producers of Faraway Downs?
No additional writers have been announced for the new project, but given that "Faraway Downs" is repurposing footage from "Australia," it seems likely that the original film's writers will be credited on the new series. Luhrmann co-wrote the script along with the late playwright Ronald Harwood, "Collateral" filmmaker Stuart Beattie, and novelist Richard Flanagan. "Australia" was nominated for a Satellite Award for its script, but most of its accolades were actually in praise of its design — including a Best Achievement in Costume Design Oscar nod.
According to Deadline, executive producers on the project include Luhrmann, Schuyler Weiss, Catherine Martin, and Catherine Knapman, with the project coming from 20th Century Television. Given the unique nature of the project, though, the real burning question is: who will be editing "Faraway Downs"? Dody Dorn and Michael McKusker served as editors on "Australia," and IMDb currently lists Kim Rene Bjørge as the online editor for "Faraway Downs."
Has Faraway Downs released a trailer?
Hulu has just released a trailer for the upcoming limited series, so newcomers to the story and "Australia" fans (or haters) alike can see what all the fuss is about. The 2-and-a-half-minute promo begins with Kidman's Lady Sarah traveling to Australia — and hating every minute of it. "This place is so barren, I can't understand what he would've seen out here," the widow laments, clearly in over her head after acquiring the titular ranch.
The most surprising part of the trailer is how little it looks like Luhrmann's eye-popping recent works; despite the adventure movie-esque edit, the natural landscape of the setting shines through, making "Faraway Downs" look much less stylized than something like "Elvis." At least, at first. Later scenes showing a herd of cattle cornering Nullah on a cliffside and planes dropping bombs give the sense of a story with a huge scope and a flair for drama. This teaser doesn't reveal the most major change between "Australia" and "Faraway Downs," though: the show is set to have a totally different ending.
What is the source material for Faraway Downs?
As noted above, "Faraway Downs" is pulling from the 2008 movie "Australia," and not just conceptually. The entire show appears to be made from repurposed and unreleased footage from the original film, with Deadline reporting that the series "will be comprised of footage that was captured for the 2008 film, along with an expanded, serialized version of the story with a new ending and updated soundtrack."
Though the show is sure to be fantastical, it will also pull from real Australian history, touching on the story of Australia's Stolen Generation as well as the bombing of Darwin during World War II. If you'd like to watch "Australia" before the new show's release, the original film is now on Hulu. You can see the new, extended and reimagined cut of the story when "Faraway Downs" drops on the streamer on November 26, 2023.