Great Scott! A summer ‘Gatsby’
‘T he Great Gatsby” might be delayed, but don’t think it’s because Baz Luhrmann lost sight of the green light. An inside source at Warner Bros. tells us the hotly anticipated film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece was moved to next summer because the studio brass has faith it will make not just Oscar-level money, but blockbuster-level money. The source said that the film, starring
Leonardo DiCaprio, is anything but troubled. It’s 100% done, and “for once” an anticipated film is not being delayed because of dysfunctional postproduction. Those who have seen it, the source said, are “thrilled” and think it can have an enormous appeal.
The source added that a definitive re- lease date has not been set, but the studio is leaning toward late June or early July. The Fourth of July could be a strong favorite, given the rich American themes running through the book.
The last two summers for Warner Bros. have been anchored by the final chapters of giant moneymaking franchises. The last film in the Harry Potter series was released in July 2011 and “The Dark Knight Rises,” the conclusion of the Batman series, came out last month. Perhaps the studio is hoping “Gatsby” will succeed in the same way.
“Warner is losing a lot of its franchises, and they wanted to make it the big summer movie,” another source, who worked on the film, told us.
The film’s director said he doesn’t mind the studio’s decision.
“Quite frankly, it’s a summer film,” Luhrmann told us at the launch party for Samsung’s “Meet the New Way” Wednesday night.
In a press release, Warner Bros.’ president of domestic distribution, Dan Fellman, said the move was strategic. “It makes sense to ensure this unique film reaches the largest audience possible.”
Luhrmann said he’s using the extra time to tinker with the soundtrack, though he stayed quiet about which artists he’s chosen. “I can only say that I’m working with some of the most brilliant musical people in the world,” he said. “People everyone will know.”
The trailer for the film, released in May, showcases the songs “No Church in the Wild” by Jay-Z and Kanye West, and a cover of U2’s “Love Is Blindness” by Jack
White. Luhrmann has said the completed soundtrack will feature modern music anachronistic to the Roaring Twenties in “Gatsby,” following the model of his past films “Moulin Rouge!” and “William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet.”
The source who worked on the movie declined to name the songs playing in the footage he has seen, but said the soundtrack will meet the standards of Luhrmann’s past films — or top them.