Baz Luhrmann, the director of THE GREAT GATSBY, MOULIN ROUGE and ROMEO AND JULIET, is bringing his own show to Netflix. The Get Down is a mythic saga of how New York at the brink of bankruptcy in the 1970s gave birth to hip-hop, punk and disco – told through the lives and music of the South Bronx kids who changed the city, and the world forever. Luhrmann will direct the first 2 of 13 1-hour episodes, as well as the season finale, and serve as executive producer.
Baz Luhrmann had this to say:
In this golden era of TV, the Netflix culture puts no constraint on creative possibilities. So it is a natural home for The Get Down, a project I have been contemplating and working on now for over 10 years. Throughout, I’ve been obsessed with the idea of how a city in its lowest moment, forgotten and half destroyed could give birth to such creativity and originality in music, art and culture. I’m thrilled to be working with my partners at Sony and collaborating with a team of extraordinary writers and musicians, many of whom grew up with and lived the story we’ve set out to tell,” said Baz Luhrmann.
Baz Luhrmann is definitely an acquired taste, but given the right material, he really can elevate a song and dance number. I'm curious as to how he'll be able to translate this to a show with 13 1-hour episodes without hitting fatigue, but chalk this up as another exciting Netflix original that may change how musicals are brought to the public. Couldn't be any worse than AUSTRALIA!
The Get Down will premiere on Netflix with 13 1-hour episodes sometime in 2016.