For the past few weeks, director Baz Luhrmann has been busy workshopping an an adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald literary classic. While numerous people have been mentioned for roles in the film, it wasn’t even official that the movie would be Luhmann’s next flick, or if he was just testing thing out. Yesterday rumours emerged that Carey Mulligan was being lined up for the role of Daisy Buchanan, and Deadline has now confirmed they’re true – which also mean Luhrmann is definitely going ahead with the movie.
Mulligan was one one of the last of an elite list of actresses who met with Baz Luhrmann while he conducted readings with Leonardo DiCaprio, who is set to play Jay Gatsby. Tobey Maguire will play his friend, Nick Carraway, who narrates the tale about the skewering of the American dream amongst bored, rich people in the age of Jazz. Other said to be in the frame for the role of the manipulative Daisy included Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Michelle Williams, Blake Lively and Keira Knightley.
Baz Luhrmann said: “The results from the workshop process on The Great Gatsby have been very encouraging. There are a few elements that I feel need to be resolved before I would categorically state that this is my next film. Regarding the role of Daisy Buchanan, I was privileged to explore the character with some of the world’s most talented actresses, each one bringing their own particular interpretation, all of which were legitimate and exciting. However, specific to this particular production of The Great Gatsby, I was thrilled to pick up the phone an hour ago to the young Oscar-nominated British actress Carey Mulligan and say to her: “Hello, Daisy Buchanan.”
And if you’re wondering where the pic above comes from, it’s actually of Mulligan as Daisy, taken during the audition process, so counts as the first shot from a movie that hasn’t even started filming yet!