Considered by many to be Australia’s version of Robin Hood, and a ruthless murder by others, Ned Kelly is one of the most famous bushrangers in Australian history. Now, the first trailer for “True History of the Kelly Gang” turns the outlaw into a punk rock star.
Justin Kurzel, who previously directed “Macbeth,” directed the film, which screenwriter Shaun Grant adapted from the award-winning “True History of the Kelly Gang” novel by Peter Carey. The film tells the story of Ned Kelly, the 19th-century Australian bushranger born to a rebellious Irish immigrant family who rose to live a life of crime, wearing a now-iconic suit of bulletproof armor. The trailer portrays the almost mythical figure as a sort of a 19th-century punk rock star, beloved by his followers, hated by the authorities and the establishment, and as having a chaotic home life.
As expected of Kurzel, the trailer sells a visually stunning tale of crime and adventure, one which makes you wonder how other such outlaws and historical figures would look like through the lens of a rock star biopic. After all, Joan of Arc already has a biopic in the form of a rock opera. Maybe instead of turning Robin Hood into Batman, they should have made him a jazz musician?
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When “True History of the Kelly Gang” premiered at TIFF, our own Charles Bramesco said the film “Kurzel’s film celebrates Australia itself, as a lawless place with all the stirring raw potential of the American frontier, as much as it celebrates Kelly.”
“True History of the Kelly Gang” stars George MacKay as the titular Ned Kelly, with Orlando Schwerdt playing a young Ned, the film also stars Russell Crowe, Nicholas Hoult, Essie Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, and Charlie Hunnam.
The film doesn’t seem to have an official US release date, but Mememto Films International will release “True History of the Kelly Gang” on UK and Irish cinemas on February 28, 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcNIikhuMiI
