Damn, some major spoilers for Baz Luhrmann’s “Australia” just leaked. We couldn’t help but read them, but if you’re interested in knowing how the film ends, be forewarned, this article will spoil the hell of it it. But hey don’t get mad at us. An Australian publication just revealed these facts, not us. We’re re-reporting. Anyhow, you’ve been warned.
Apparently after what the Australian Herald Sun (via Hollywood Elswhere) is calling, “disastrous reviews from test screenings,” 20th Century Fox has coerced Luhrmann to change the film’s ending from a sad one, to a happy one and he “bowed to studio pressure” and complied. Note: Apparently Luhrmann had final cut, but he agreed to what Fox asked for, but he wasn’t “forced” (though as some have noted, there are other ways a studio can blackmail you into changes, but that’s just speculation for now).
Apparently, Hugh Jackman’s character dies in the original ending, but audiences disliked this downer so much, that “Twentieth Century Fox executives decided the film’s final moments should be more uplifting.”
“The test-screening audience member described the film as ‘an action-filled tragedy’ and urged Luhrmann to change the ending. ‘If they can tastefully tie this movie up into a solid story, with a nice pace, Baz will have a winner here,’ one reviewer wrote. “And there is no reason to kill off Wolvie (Jackman) in this one – come on.’ “Those who’ve seen the film say the performances are terrific but it is Jackman who steals the show.”
Hmm, with $130+ million at stake we can sort of see why (at least in this economic climate, not that we’re condoning artistic changes for commercial ones), but that kind of sucks for Luhrmann and his artistic vision.
