Baz Luhrmann's Australia is getting a small-screen re-release, with the extended cut of the movie becoming a six-part miniseries set to stream on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus internationally.
The show, which is officially named Faraway Downs, will follow the same story as the 2008 film, but feature an alternate ending, according to Collider. Starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, the World War II-set flick follows Lady Sarah Ashley, an English aristocrat who determinedly travels to rural Australia to sell her unfaithful husband's large cattle station. Only, her husband is murdered by the time she arrives.
When the land is threatened, Lady Sarah (Kidman) teams up with local rancher "The Drover" (Jackman) to transport the cattle across the country's harsh landscape. During her stay, she also strikes up a close bond with Nullah (Brandon Walters), a young indigenous boy who has a complicated relationship with Neil Fletcher (David Wenham), the man trying to take over Faraway Downs.
"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 recent statement.
"While Australia the film has its own life, there was another telling of this story; one with different layers, nuances and even alternative plot twists that an episodic format has allowed us to explore. Drawn from the same material, Faraway Downs is a new variation on Australia for audiences to discover."
"Baz is one of the world's great auteur storytellers, so revisiting Faraway Downs and experiencing his incredible film Australia in this unique, new episodic format has been a revelatory and unique adventure," said Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment president Craig Erwich. "We look forward to taking viewers into the ranch and experiencing all of the stories that are both held within and continue to unfold there."
Starring the likes of Tom Hanks and Austin Butler as The King of Rock and Roll, Luhrmann's latest big-screen title, Elvis, is in cinemas now. While we wait for Faraway Downs, which is expected this winter, why not check out our roundup of the best TV shows of all time for some viewing inspiration.
