Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann has announced he is in search of a teenage star to play the lead role in a new epic film about the French heroine Joan of Arc.
The Elvis director, 62, set Hollywood in a spin after sending out an open casting call which could see a complete unknown star in the upcoming blockbuster, titled Jehanne d’Arc.
The true story of Joan of Arc centres on a peasant girl who led an army against the English in the Hundred Years War during the Middle Ages.
She was later burnt at the stake after claiming she was on a mission from God to ‘save’ France.
Industry blog Deadline reported on Tuesday that Luhrmann has sent a casting call to agents describing his film as the ‘ultimate Coming of Age story’.
Scholars believe that the historical Joan who died at about age 19 invited the wrath of Church leaders because she wore men’s clothes, which was considered ‘blasphemous’ at that time.
Joan’s story has been filmed many times in the last 100-years with actresses including Casablanca star Ingrid Bergman and Americans Milla Jovovich and Leelee Sobieski playing the role of France’s patron saint.
No budget details have been released for the film but industry reports reveal that Luhrmann has set up the film at Warner Bros. which produced his 2022 blockbuster Elvis.
Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann has announced he is in search of a teenage star to play the lead role in a new epic film about the French heroine Joan of Arc. (Pictured)
The Elvis director, 62, has set Hollywood in a spin after sending out an open casting call which could see a complete unknown star in the upcoming blockbuster. Pictured: American actress Milla Jovovich as Joan of Arc in the 1999 film The Messenger: The Story Of Joan Of Arc
The musical biopic of Elvis Presley grossed a massive (US) $288,670,284 globally.
It comes after the Gold Coast ‘shack’ Luhrmann and wife Catherine Martin rented while they were making Elvis sold for $5.72million.
The couple have been living increasingly ‘separate lives’ in recent years, with the costume designer, 59, living in the Miami area home while the director worked in New York.
The true story of Joan of Arc centres on a peasant girl who led an army against the English in the Hundred Years War during the Middle Ages. Pictured: Leelee Sobieski in a scene from 1999 mini series Joan of Arc
The four-bedroom, two-bathroom house sold through Amir Prestige, with the real estate agency using the stunning seaside location as the selling point.
Renovated in the 1960s, the home is just steps away from the pristine sands of Miami Beach and has ‘nostalgic charm’.
Baz and Catherine moved into the shack when they downsized from a larger house on the glitter strip after relocating to the area in 2020.
In a recent interview with The Australian’s Wish magazine, Catherine spoke about having a long-distance relationship with her husband.
The Academy Award-winning costume designer said the pair spoke regularly on the phone when he was in New York and she stayed at the seaside Gold Coast shack.
Catherine said she enjoyed the ‘work/life balance’ on the Gold Coast, where she went for daily long morning walks on the beach and classes at her local Pilates studio.
‘I called Baz this morning, I was walking on the way to Pilates and he was marvelling at the weather, because he’s in New York,’ she said in the interview.
Baz was recently forced to put split rumours to rest after fans noted eerie similarities with Aussie actor Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness’ failed marriage.
Pictured: Luhrmann and his wife of 27-years, designer Catherine Martin at the Met Gala in May
The director confirmed the pair were still very much in love.
Baz and Catherine have been married for 27 years and recently saw their own children Lilly, 20, and William, 18, move out of home.
Luhrmann rosed to fame as the director of the Australian box office hit Strictly Ballroom in 1992.
He followed it up with more hits including Romeo + Juliet (1996) with Leonardo DiCaprio, Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Australia (2008) both with Nicole Kidman and The Great Gatsby (2013), which also featured DiCaprio.
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