Casting is moving forward on Baz Luhrmann’s planned Great Gatsby adaptation, with Isla Fisher is in talks to play Myrtle. However while it was revealed a couple weeks ago that Ben Affleck was sniffing around the role of Tom Buchanan, he’s now passed on the movie so he can concentrate on directing Argo instead.
THR has the news on Fisher, saying she’s up for Myrtle, who’s a rather tragic character in F. Scott Fitzergerald’s book. She’s the wife of a gas station owner who’s having an affair with the wealthy nad rather priggish Tom Buchanan (the part Affleck was up for). In turn Buchanan is the husband of the slightly vapid Daisy (Carey Mulligan), who is the love obsession of Jay Gatsby (Leo DiCaprio). While not a totally sympathetic character, Myrtle is one of the more interesting ones, caught up in her love affair with the much wealthier man and feeling this gives her higher social stature, she is at once victim and victimiser, and slightly unstable. Some have suggested that Fisher is wrong for the role, but while much of her Hollywood work probably hasn’t been a good showcase for her talent, we reckon she’s an interesting choice.
However she won’t be starring alongside Affleck, as according to Deadline, he’s too busy. Ben is committed to direct Argo, about the 1979 Iran hostage crisis in the Middle East, and while they spent a few weeks trying to sort out scheduling so he could do both, in the end they had to admit defeat and his directorial effort won out. It’s a shame, as while most of the time anything that keeps Aflleck behind the camera is a good thing, he was almost perfect for Buchanan.
Apparently we shouldn’t be surprised is Baz Luhrmann gets an Aussie actor to replace Affleck, as with the film shooting Down Under, if he can get enough of the cast and crew to come from the country, he’d be entitled to significant tax breaks. Fisher is, of course, an Australian, so it seems many of the other empty roles may get filled with her compatriots.
Actually, The Mentalist’s Simon Baker might make a good Tom Buchanan, and he’s an Aussie, so maybe Luhrmann should get him on the phone.