Elvis: Baz Luhrmann Plans to Re-Edit Movie as TV Series

Elvis director Baz Luhrmann isn’t done with Elvis just yet. In a recent interview with CinemaBlend, Luhrmann — whose film Australia has gotten new life in the Hulu series Faraway Downs as it is, essentially, the 2008 film expanded with additional footage and edited into episodes — revealed that he has plans to do the same with his most recent film, Elvis, as well. Luhrmann said that working on Faraway Downs made him think about doing it with the Austin Butler starring film and that it would take a “completely different” storytelling style.

“Doing it episodically, and to your question, it’s made me think about doing that even more radically,” Luhrmann said. “And now, I get in a lot of trouble. Here’s the scoop. But with Elvis, okay? Not this year. Maybe not next year. But I really would love to do the episodic version of Elvis. And I’ll take a completely different storytelling style than I would if I’d done it for the cinema.”

He added, “Now, okay, why would I be so stupid? And why would I draw all the fire and brimstone down on myself like that? Well, like when an iconic, popular musician does a song and they perform it in concert and they do, you know, let’s say it’s a dance cut, they do a heavy metal version. I think of the dexterity of music, and the ability to take the same piece and reinterpret and rediscover. It keeps the artist engaged. But it also keeps decoding and recoding the story, keeps it alive in the moment. So, that’s why I would do it. And I think I would do it with Elvis.”

Luhrmann Previously Discussed An Extended Cut of Elvis

As Luhrmann explained to ScreenRant earlier this year, a longer cut of Elvis could eventually arrive — but after he takes a small break from the project.

“Not now, and not probably next year,” Luhrmann explained. “But I don’t close my mind to the idea that in the future, there might be a way of exploring another [cut]. I’ve got to be really careful here, because the moment I put it out there… I tell you what, all my tweets are nothing but, ‘We want the four-hour version! We want the four-hour version!’ I think people are at my gates with pitchforks saying, ‘We want the four-hour version!’ But I don’t close my mind to the idea that there would be an extended cut. Right now, with how long it’s stayed in the theaters and how well it’s done, it’s crossed the line. But it’s done so well on HBO Max over the weekend, so it’s about the parent company going, ‘Wow, it’s really worth spending the money.’”

“Because it isn’t just like I’ve got it, and you just put it out there,” Luhrmann continued. “Every minute in post-production, you have to do visual effects, grading, cutting, refining, and ADR sound. It’s not like it’s just sitting there finished, and I can just push a button and it comes out. You’d have to get back in and work on it. To do an extended cut, you’d be working on it for another four or six months something. I’m not closed to it, but not now. I’m a little bit on the tired side.”

What is Faraway Downs About?

Here’s the official synopsis for Faraway Downs: 

Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) travels halfway across the world to confront her wayward husband and sell an unusual asset: Faraway Downs, a million-acre cattle ranch in the Australian outback. Following the death of her husband, a ruthless Australian cattle baron, King Carney (Bryan Brown) plots to take her land, and she reluctantly joins forces with a rough-hewn cattle drover (Hugh Jackman) to protect her ranch. The sweeping adventure-romance is explored through the eyes of young Nullah (Brandon Walters), an Indigenous Australian child caught up in the government’s Draconian racial policy now referred to as the Stolen Generations. Together, the trio experiences four life-altering years, a love affair between Lady Ashley and the drover, and the unavoidable impact of World War II on Northern Australia.