Originally slated for a Christmas 2012 release, Baz Luhrmann’s 3D adaptation of The Great Gatsby has been pushed back to summer 2013. According to the Los Angeles Times, two sources close to the production say that the delay will allow Luhrmann to work on the film’s 3D effects and to put together an all-star soundtrack. The blockbuster-packed Christmas season probably didn’t help matters either.
Back in May, the trailer for Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby drew some mixed reactions on the site. The feel of the film seems booming (Luhrmann’s default setting), whereas F. Scott Fitzgerald’s language was meticulous, elegant, and contemplative, and his tone often melancholy — it’s the difference between fireworks and candlelight. Maybe the clash will create something memorable, or maybe it’ll be like toothpaste and orange juice.
No word on who will appear on the Great Gatsby soundtrack yet. The use of Jay-Z and Jack White in the trailer could be a hint of what’s to come. I’m secretly hoping for/dreading a gaudy collection of Cole Porter and Irving Berlin covers. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a Gatsby fix, play the videogame version of The Great Gatsby. After the cut is the official press release concerning the date change.
[Via Los Angeles Times via First Showing]
THE GREAT GATSBY MOVING TO SUMMER 2013
Baz Luhrmann’s 3D Adaptation to Get New Play Date in Sought-After Summer Frame
BURBANK, CA, August 6, 2012 – Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures have moved the release date of The Great Gatsby to Summer 2013. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
In making the announcement, Fellman stated, “Based on what we’ve seen, Baz Luhrmann’s incredible work is all we anticipated and so much more. It truly brings Fitzgerald’s American classic to life in a completely immersive, visually stunning and exciting way. We think moviegoers of all ages are going to embrace it, and it makes sense to ensure this unique film reaches the largest audience possible.”
Kwan Vandenberg confirmed, “Baz is known for being innovative, but with this film he has done something completely unexpected — making it in 3D — while capturing the emotion, the intimacy, the power and the spectacle of the time. The responses we’ve had to some of the early sneak peeks have been phenomenal, and we think The Great Gatsby will be the perfect summer movie around the world.”
From the uniquely imaginative mind of writer/producer/director Baz Luhrmann comes the new big screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. The filmmaker has created his own distinctive visual interpretation of the classic story, bringing the period to life in a way that has never been seen before, in a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role.
The Great Gatsby follows Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz, bootleg kings, and sky-rocketing stocks. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy, and her philandering, blueblooded husband, Tom Buchanan. It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, within and without of the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.
Academy Award® nominee DiCaprio (J. Edgar, Aviator) plays Jay Gatsby, with Tobey Maguire starring as Nick Carraway; Oscar® nominee Carey Mulligan (An Education) and Joel Edgerton as Daisy and Tom Buchanan; Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke as Myrtle and George Wilson; and newcomer Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker. Indian film legend Amitabh Bachchan will play the role of Meyer Wolfsheim.
Oscar® nominee Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!) directs the film in 3D from a screenplay co-written with frequent collaborator Craig Pearce, based on Fitzgerald’s book. Luhrmann produces, along with Catherine Martin, Academy Award® winner Douglas Wick (Gladiator), Lucy Fisher and Catherine Knapman. The executive producers are Academy Award® winner Barrie M. Osborne (Lord of the Rings – Return of the King) and Bruce Berman.
Two-time Academy Award®-winning production and costume designer Catherine Martin (Moulin Rouge!) designs as well as produces. The editors are Matt Villa, Jason Ballantine and Jonathan Redmond, and the director of photography is Simon Duggan. The music is by Craig Armstrong.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, in association with A&E Television, a Bazmark/Red Wagon Entertainment Production, a Film by Baz Luhrmann, The Great Gatsby. Opening Summer 2013, the film will be distributed in IMAX® 3D, 3D and 2D by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.
