Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman are being courted by close friend, and Oscar-winning director Baz Luhrmann, to star in a 40th anniversary feature movie based on the Australian Mini Series All the Rivers Run.
The Riv, in what we believe to be an Australian exclusive, can report that the Murray River region — including Echuca and Moama — will be at the centre of Luhrmann’s filming location plans.
All the Rivers Run was a four-part mini series set in Australia in the early 1900s, starring Sigrid Thornton as Philadelphia Gordon and John Waters as paddle boat skipper Brenton Edwards.
Thorton won the Logie award for the best lead actress in a miniseries/telemovie for the role. Kidman will be hoping her reprisal of the role could attract a seventh Academy Award nomination and, potentially, second win.
She won Best Actress in 2003 for The Hours, cast alongside Meryl Streep and Julieanne Moore.
All the Rivers Run, the mini series was based on the 1958 novel by Nancy Cato and was filmed on location, at the Port of Echuca.
It also starred iconic Australian actors Gus Mercurio — as Tom Gritchley, who Luhrmann wants played by Sam Neill — and Charles Tingwell (Uncle Charles), who the director of Australia and Moulin Rouge wants played by Sir Anthony Hopkins.
Luhrmann, who has been pouring all his energies into the June 24 release of his new film Elvis, apparently let slip a reference to the project when interviewed by a low-level Hollywood magazine writer.
Until now the reference has flown under the radar, with all the attention going to the Elvis Presley biopic which stars Tom Hanks and has multi talented actor-singer Austin Butler cast in the role as Elvis.
Luhrmann worked with Kidman on Australia, which also starred Jackman, and Moulin Rouge and is believed to have conducted a “cloak and dagger” visit to the region in recent weeks to survey filming options.
An unconfirmed approach has apparently been made to a range of paddle steamer operators in regard to the availability of their vessels for the film.
In 1983 the PS Pevensey was used during the filming of All the Rivers Run, which was re-named the PS Philadelphia for the filming of the Crawford Productions mini-series.
He is considering, due to international travel constraints and apparently at the request of proud Australians Jackman and Kidman, involving several residents of the region as extras for the film.