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The Hollywood Reporter - October 1st, 2002
Baz Luhrmann readies his Greek epic
As he gears up for a January start on the Fox/Universal co-production "Alexander the Great" -- the
most expensive studio movie ever greenlighted -- director Baz Luhrmann spoke recently with The
Hollywood Reporter's Stephen Galloway about the film.
The Hollywood Reporter: How did you become attached to the Alexander the Great project? Have you
always wanted to make an epic biopic?
Baz Luhrmann: I have for a very long time been doing what I call my "red curtain trilogy" (1992's
"Strictly Ballroom," 1996's "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet" and 2001's "Moulin Rouge"),
but, in parallel, I have been working for the last 19 years on my next gesture: a series of epic
works. I intend to do a trilogy of epic films -- one ancient, one Australian and one Russian. I
have actually looked at three ancient works -- on Cleopatra, Alcibiades and Alexander the Great;
in the last three years, Alexander became the most dominant. Then suddenly, there were a lot of
Alexander plans. There was a point when (Martin) Scorsese and Leonardo (DiCaprio) were doing one,
and I thought I had missed the opportunity; then Marty decided to do "Aviator," the Howard Hughes
project. I felt if I did not seize the day, I would never tell this story.
THR: When did you initially become interested in Alexander the Great?
Luhrmann: I have been interested in him since I was a child and became even more interested in
him when I did my big academic work on Greek mythology and stories at the National Institute of
Dramatic Arts in Australia. He is an extraordinary character, and probably his biggest problem as
a subject is that his story is too extraordinary. He is the fundamental building block of so many
stories that have come since -- from "Henry IV, Part I" to "Hamlet" -- and the messianic myths all
have a relationship to Alexander. Here is a young man whose father has him trained by the Obi-Wan
Kenobi of the time, Aristotle, (and) he ends up conquering more of the Earth's surface than any
man before or after, the first time in history that the West dominated the East.
THR: How has preproduction advanced thus far?
Luhrmann: We should start shooting early next year. Ridley Scott had been developing this script
with (producer) Dino De Laurentiis, which is why we are so far along. The king of Morocco has
given us 5,000 soldiers and 1,500 cavalry, and they've been building a studio there. I've been
back and forth; I did training sessions with the cavalry while I was there earlier, and I am going
back.
THR: Is Leonardo DiCaprio set to star?
Luhrmann: Leonardo wants to play the role, (and) everyone is doing the finite dealmaking.
THR: Are you concerned about Oliver Stone's plans for an Alexander the Great project?
Luhrmann: I know Oliver and have a great respect for him, but the truth is, it is not certain he
will do his film. If he makes his picture, that is fine.
THR: Is it true that the budget for your film is $140 million-$150 million?
Luhrmann: It couldn't be less than ($140 million). Fox and Universal are constructing a coalition
between the two studios that is unique to this project. But no one has ever told this story well;
there is an appalling (1956) Hollywood version with (Richard) Burton and a (silent) Bollywood
film. But this is about the poetry of landscape, and we are inventing a new visual landscape to
tell the story. Thanks to Pax & Shaolin ! ***
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