Baz Luhrmann takes a long time to make a movie. His Australia came out seven years after Moulin Rouge!, which came out five years after Romeo + Juliet. The gestation periods are so long that nothing is ever set in stone, in terms of his future projects, until cameras have started rolling. Which is why we chuckle a bit and scratch our heads when Nikki Finke says that the Aussie is definitely doing a Great Gatsby movie for his next endeavor. Nothing is ever definite with this man! Look at some other Luhrmann rumors that haven't—but may still!—come to fruition.

Alexander the Great
 The Aussie chatted and chatted about this project back around 2002-2003, but then things kept getting delayed. The problem was that Luhrmann's labor of love was usurped by Oliver Stone's utterly bizarre and wretched Alexander (in which Angelina Jolie revealed herself to be a parselmouth). So that was a big disappointment! Leonardo DiCaprio was going to be in it and he would have had to like, you know, kiss boys cause Alex was that way and it would have been swoopy and swoony (because Baz is that way). Ah well. Instead we got DiCaprio in the dark muddle that was The Aviator and Luhrmann pulled some Christmas tree lights out of his brain and used them to fashion the creamy Australia. He says he still wants to do an Alexander movie someday.

Wicked
 You know, like the musical? For fags and stuff? Based on Gregory Maguire's book, the Broadway musical is a smash hit and a movie version is sort of inevitable. And just last month word was whispered that Baz would be directing the celluloid version. That would be quite something! Nothing has really been substantiated about this rumor, though, so it's probably just the sad pipe dream of a theatre fan from lamesville Cleveland who wants to see Ewan MacGregor sing "Dancing Through Life." Though, we're pretty sure Baz is done with musicals. So this seems unlikely.

The As-Yet-Unnamed Futuristic Movie
 Did you know we have a sci-fi blog? We do! It's called io9 and it's really well done and they recently actually spoke face-to-face with Luhrmann and asked him if he was going to do anything set in the future. He said he was thinking of something very specific, but that he didn't want to give it away. So is he one of those people who always kind of answer questions like that in the affirmative, so they seem busy and oh so productive? Like when someone is all "Richard, are you still writing plays?" And I say "Oh yeah, I've got a lot of ideas I'm working on" when in actuality I'm watching Jon & Kate Plus Eight while weeping? I think that's the case. I certainly don't dislike the idea, though. A futuristic movie from Luhrmann would certainly look cool. I just wish there was more concrete information. Then I could pass judgment. And stop weeping.

This Great Gatsby Business
 Finke says it's definitely happening. She suggests James Marsden for a possible Gatsby. Argh. The old timey one with that crumbly DA from Law & Order is not that good, but I don't think Luhrmann's the right person to do Fitzgerald justice in the new century. He would probably do the swirling party motifs pretty well, but those boats being borne back ceaslessly? That takes a little more nuance than the flamboyant boy from Oz seems to possess.