Director Baz Luhrmann may be inching closer to his next feature film with a workshop reportedly taking place with Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Rebecca Hall in preparation for his adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s classic 1925 novel, “The Great Gatsby.”
With a script by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce (“Romeo+Juliet,” “Moulin Rouge!“), the actors respectively read for Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway and Daisy Buchanan — the leading trio in the Jazz Age tale of the American dream embodied by Gatsby’s pursuit of his lost love as seen through the eyes of protagonist Carraway. Long time friends DiCaprio and Maguire were already rumored for the adaptation earlier this month with news of this workshop surely solidifying that link. Hall’s name, on the other hand, is entering the equation for the first time.
Prior to this, Amanda Seyfried was linked to the role of Daisy and there’s now word that Luhrmann is eyeing Natalie Portman for the instrumental role though any firm casting preference or decision is likely still months away. “You know I think of casting all the time,” the director had told MTV. “But I put that to the side and I complete the text. Obviously there are natural choices and there is a natural top of the list, but I really refuse to say anything until we have the text right.” The last major feature adaptation by Jack Clayton from a script by Francis Ford Coppola, of course, saw the leading roles filled by Robert Redford, Sam Waterston and Mia Farrow.
What can we gather from this workshop then? Probably not a whole lot. Luhrmann is a consistent workshopper known for doing so with “every script he’s considering” so we shouldn’t lock the Fitzgerald adaptation in as his next project just as yet — though with casting preferences now joining the director in preparation and a completed script in place, we’d be fairly surprised if the other contender; a mysterious New York-set musical, ended up preceding it. Earlier this month, the director set a deadline of “four to six weeks, no longer than six weeks” on a decision, so it shouldn’t too long until a confirmation is made anyway.
Co-produced by partner Catherine Martin, Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher, Sony Pictures will be behind any potential production by Luhrmann.
