News: ‘Australia’ Director Lands ‘The Great Gatsby’

Baz Luhrmann, the man who brought you Australia, and 1996’s Romeo+Juliet, is taking on another historical piece of literature, The Great Gatsby. According to THR, Luhrmann has obtained the rights to the book, and wants to produce an updated film version as soon as possible.

Luhramann whats to emphasize the parallel between the pre-Depression era setting of the book, and the economic recession we’re dealing with today.

“If you wanted to show a mirror to people that says, ‘You’ve been drunk on money,’ they’re not going to want to see it. But if you reflected that mirror on another time they’d be willing to.”

He added, “People will need an explanation of where we are and where we’ve been, and ‘The Great Gatsby’ can provide that explanation.”

Everytime I hear the title of this book, or even the author’s name F. Scott Fitzgerald ,it makes me think of English class. Is that the reaction I’m supposed to have?  What do you think? Would you be interested in seeing another reincarnation of this classic novel?