In 2008, Baz Luhrmann released his epic romance drama Australia, which starred Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. Though early expectations were that the movie could be an Oscar contender, middling reviews and a disappointing box office performance meant the movie was largely forgotten. Well, Luhrmann and Hulu are hoping to remedy that with a reworking of the movie into a TV miniseries called Faraway Downs.
With an original runtime of two hours and 45 minutes, Australia already was a pretty big movie. But with Faraway Downs, Luhrmann is adding about an hour of additional content, a new ending and breaking the story into six chapters for what he described as a "richer telling" to The Wrap.
It's not the first time we've seen a director rework one of their movies as a streaming exclusive, with the most famous example being Zack Snyder's Justice League.
Get everything you need to know about Faraway Downs right here.
How to watch Faraway Downs
Faraway Downs will stream on Hulu exclusively in the US and on Disney Plus in the UK, so the only way to watch the series is to have a subscription to those services. Both are available to sign up as standalone streaming services, though US consumers can also get Hulu paired with live TV access if they sign up for the live TV streaming service Hulu with Live TV, or they can combine it with Disney Plus (and possibly ESPN Plus) in what is known as the Disney Bundle.
Faraway Downs cast
Australians Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman star in Faraway Downs. Both are two of the biggest movie stars in the world and Oscar nominees to boot — Kidman a five-time nominee and winner for Best Actress in 2003 for The Hours, while Jackman was nominated for Best Actor for Les Miserables. In the series, Kidman plays Lady Sarah Ashley and Jackman plays the cattle driver she falls in love with, Drover.
The rest of the cast features some familiar faces as well as Aboriginal actors like Brandon Walters (Mystery Road) as Nullah, David Wenham (Elvis) as Neil Fletcher, Ben Mendelsohn (The Marsh King's Daughter) as Captain Dutton, Ursula Yovich (The Royal Hotel) as Daisy, Bryan Brown (C*A*U*G*H*T) as King Carney and David Gulpili (The Leftovers) as King George.
Faraway Downs plot
For anyone who needs a refresher on what Australia was about, or if you've never seen the original movie, here's the official plot of Faraway Downs:
"The story centers on an English aristocrat, Lady Sarah Ashley who travels halfway across the world to confront her wayward husband and sell an unusual asset: a million-acre cattle ranch in the Australian Outback called 'Faraway Downs.' Following the death of her husband, a ruthless Australian cattle baron, King Carney, plots to take her land and she reluctantly joins forces with a rough-hewn cattle drover to protect her ranch. The sweeping adventure romance is explored through the eyes of young Nullah, a bi-racial Indigenous Australian child caught up in the government's draconian racial policy now referred to as the 'Stolen Generations.' Together the trio experiences four life-altering years, a love affair between Lady Ashley and the Drover, and the unavoidable impact of World War II on Northern Australia."
Faraway Downs episodes
Here are the synopses for all of the Faraway Downs episodes:
Faraway Downs episode 1, "Chapter One: The Land"
"In 1939, English aristocrat Sarah Ashley crosses the world to confront her husband and sell a million-acre cattle ranch in the Australian Outback."
Faraway Downs episode 2, "Chapter Two: Secrets"
"Sarah learns the truth about her husband and what she is now up against. Winning over Drover may be her only hope to take on King Carney."
Faraway Downs episode 3, "Chapter Three: Adventure"
"Leading a thousand-head cattle across outback terrain, Sarah and Drover are faced with how far Fletcher will go for revenge."
Faraway Downs episode 4, "Chapter Four: Romance"
"Sarah and Drover must outsmart Carney and his men at Darwin Wharf for a cattle deal with the Army. Sarah discovers she is no match for the Draconian race laws and is about to capitulate to Carney."
Faraway Downs episode 5, "Chapter Five: Betrayal"
"Caught between the comfort of family and the pull of his heritage, Nullah must make a hard choice."
Faraway Downs episode 6, "Chapter Six: War"
"With World War II imminent, Sarah makes a sacrifice for Nullah. Drover realizes what matters most, but bombs start falling on Darwin."
Faraway Downs trailer
Take a look at the reimagined story with the Faraway Downs trailer directly below:
