Director Baz Luhrmann reveals his most dangerous film set yet: ‘It nearly killed me’ 

Aussie filmmaker Baz Luhrmann has opened up about the difficulties he faced during the making of his 2008 film Australia.

In a recent cover story with Deadline, the 60 year-old artist detailed the challenges he faced during the production of the film.

‘As a filmmaking experience, it was by far the most fraught,’ he said.

Aussie filmmaker Baz Luhrmann has opened up about the difficulties he faced during the making of his 2008 film Australia 

‘We were hit by equine flu… I went to the desert to shoot, and it rained for the first time in 150 years, so I had a grass-covered desert. 

Despite all of the drama on set, the passionate filmmaker refused to give up.  

‘It nearly killed me, but I wouldn’t give a day of it up at all…I was so down the road on that,’ he said. 

‘It nearly killed me, but I wouldn’t give a day of it up at all…I was so down the road on that,’ he said of the filming process for the project, which starred Hugh Jackman (left) and Nicole Kidman (right)

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‘At one stage Martin Scorsese was involved, and we built studios in Morocco…it was such an adventure, but there came a time when, for personal reasons, I really couldn’t continue with it.’ 

Riddled with problems from the start, the drama seemed to overflow into its theatrical release.

The high budget film was a commercial failure in the United States – opening at fifth place at the box office.

Riddled with problems from the start, the drama seemed to overflow into its theatrical release. The high budget film was a commercial failure in the United States – opening at fifth place at the box office 

Set in the early years of World War II, Australia centred on an unlikely romance between an Aussie cattleman (Jackman) and English aristocrat Lady Sarah (Kidman).

Faraway Downs is the outback cattle station Lady Sarah inherits when her husband dies. It later comes under threat from sinister competitors.

There is also a major storyline devoted to Lady Sarah’s attachment to a young Aboriginal boy called Nullah (Brandon Walters).

The story climaxes with the bombing of Darwin by Japanese Imperial Forces, which occurred on February 19, 1942.

Prior to making Australia, Baz stepped down from his involvement with Alexander the Great – which was to cast Leonardo DiCaprio and Mel Gibson – so he could film Australia.

A reimagined motion picture was kick-started by director Oliver Stone who casted Val Kilmer and Colin Farrell as Philip II and Alexander.

Despite all of the drama on set, the passionate filmmaker refused to give up. ‘It nearly killed me, but I wouldn’t give a day of it up at all…I was so down the road on that,’ he said

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