Omari Gates
Baz Luhrmann's 2008 film Australia has been remade into a six-part TV series titled Faraway Downs, now streaming on Hulu. The series is not a prequel, director's cut, or Australia-plus, but rather an opportunity to go deeper and find new perspectives within the original film. Faraway Downs expands on certain elements of Australia and reframes others, using an episodic structure to its benefit. While the film received mixed reviews, the series has been well-received by audiences, who enjoy the expansion of the story.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Director | Baz Luhrmann |
| Format | Six-part series |
| Original film | Australia |
| Stars | Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman |
| New ending | Yes |
| Footage | Original, deleted, and extra |
| Purpose | To "finish the story" and "go deeper" |
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What You'll Learn
Faraway Downs is a Hulu series
The series is set on the brink of World War II and follows Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) as she travels to Australia to sell a cattle station. She falls for Drover (Hugh Jackman), a cattle rancher, and the two work together to save Faraway Downs, a struggling cattle station in Northern Australia. The series also focuses on the indigenous character Nullah, who comes to live with Sarah and Drover, and the story's acknowledgement of Australia's tragic history of aboriginal children being taken from their families and assimilated into white culture.
Luhrmann created Faraway Downs by recutting and reimagining the original film, using extra and deleted footage. He wanted to "finish the story" and find new perspectives within the narrative. The series includes an alternate ending in which Drover is killed after the Japanese attack on Darwin, leaving Lady Ashley to face her next chapter alone.
The series has received mixed reactions from audiences and critics. While general viewers have enjoyed the series, critics have called it "bloated and unnecessary." However, others argue that it effectively functions as a corrective director's cut, allowing Luhrmann to tell the story as he envisioned it.
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Faraway Downs is a recut of the film Australia
Faraway Downs is not a remake of the film Australia, but a recut of the original film. It is a six-part miniseries, or a "film in six parts", that expands on the story of the 2008 film. Faraway Downs is not a prequel, as some viewers may have initially thought, but a director's cut of sorts.
The series was created by Baz Luhrmann, who wanted to "finish the story" he set out to tell in Australia. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Luhrmann revisited the footage he had amassed while shooting Australia and decided to serialise it for streaming platforms. The result is Faraway Downs, a recut that allows Luhrmann to "go deeper" and find new perspectives within his original film.
The new series largely reinforces Luhrmann's initial vision for Australia: a twist on "Gone With The Wind" that is a sweeping epic with a central romance, told through the eyes of an Aboriginal child. Nullah, the Aboriginal child in the story, represents Australia's tragic history of Aboriginal children being taken from their families and assimilated into white culture—a program known as "Stolen Generations".
While the final scene of the film and series remains almost the same, Luhrmann does change the ending. In the film, Lady Ashley, The Drover, and Nullah reunite during the 1942 Japanese attack on Darwin. In Faraway Downs, however, The Drover is killed after the attack, leaving Lady Ashley to face her next chapter alone.
Faraway Downs premiered on Hulu with a runtime of 226 minutes and has been described as a "variation" of Australia, allowing Luhrmann to tell the story as he envisioned it.
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Faraway Downs is not a prequel to Australia
Faraway Downs is set on a sprawling outback cattle property in Northern Australia and shares the same camp humour as Australia. The series also retains the original's tragic history of aboriginal children being taken from their families and assimilated into white culture. Both the film and the series begin with onscreen text that gives a brief Australian history lesson about the "stolen generations".
The main difference between the film and the series is the ending. In the film, Lady Ashley, The Drover, and Nullah reunite during the 1942 Japanese attack on Darwin. In the series, however, The Drover is killed after the attack, leaving Lady Ashley to face her next chapter alone.
While the series has been well-received by audiences, critics have called it "bloated and unnecessary". However, others argue that it is a deeply personal tale for Luhrmann and allows him to tell the story as he envisioned it.
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Faraway Downs is a continuation of Australia
The result is Faraway Downs, a six-part TV series named for the sprawling outback cattle property where the story is mostly set. The series is a recut and reimagined version of the film, with the narrative threads of the film forming the backbone of individual chapters, and extra scenes reengineered and reinserted. While the series is tonally similar to the film, with the same camp humour, it also goes deeper and finds new perspectives.
One of the most notable differences between the film and the series is the ending. The film ends with Lady Ashley, The Drover, and Nullah reuniting during the 1942 Japanese attack on Darwin. In the series, however, Luhrmann deploys an alternate ending where The Drover is killed after the attack, leaving Lady Ashley to face her next chapter alone.
Another difference is in the narrative structure. The film is a sweeping epic, while the series uses an episodic structure to its benefit, allowing for more time to tell the story episodically and giving the amount of loss more rise and fall. The series also leans more into Nullah's telling of the story, which is a meaningful way to deepen and cohere the work.
Faraway Downs is not just a continuation of Australia but also an opportunity for Luhrmann to "finish the story" and tell it as he sees fit. It is a variation of the film, allowing for new perspectives and a deeper exploration of the themes and characters.
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Faraway Downs is a director's cut
Faraway Downs is not a remake of Australia, but rather a director's cut of sorts. It is a six-part TV series that expands on the story told in the 2008 film Australia, which was directed by Baz Luhrmann and starred Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. The series premiered on Hulu and was described as a "film in six parts" or a "film in instalments".
Luhrmann emphasised that Faraway Downs is not "Australia-plus" or a director's cut but rather an opportunity to go deeper and find new perspectives within the original film. He wanted to "finish the story" he had set out to tell in Australia, and so Faraway Downs is a recut and reimagined version of the original film, with extra scenes reengineered and reinserted and a different ending.
The series is set on a sprawling outback cattle property in Northern Australia called Faraway Downs, which is owned by the late husband of Lady Sarah Ashley (played by Kidman). In the film, Lady Sarah teams up with Jackman's character, a grizzled cattle drover known as The Drover, to save the struggling cattle station. The series begins with onscreen text that gives a brief Australian history lesson about the "stolen generations", referring to the Aboriginal children of mixed race who "were taken by force from their families and trained for service in white society".
The new footage in Faraway Downs largely reinforces Luhrmann's initial vision for Australia: a twist on "Gone With The Wind" that is a sweeping epic with a central romance but told largely through the eyes of an Aboriginal child. The final scene of the film and series remain almost the same, with Lady Ashley realising her love for Nullah can't take precedence over his chance to live with his people. However, in the series, Luhrmann deploys an alternate ending where The Drover is killed after the attack, leaving Lady Ashley to face her next chapter alone.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Faraway Downs is not a remake of Australia. It is a recut and reimagined version of the 2008 film Australia.
No, Faraway Downs is not a prequel to Australia. It is a six-part miniseries that expands on the story told in the 2008 film.
Faraway Downs is directed by Baz Luhrmann, who also directed the original film Australia.
Baz Luhrmann wanted to "finish the story" and "go deeper" into the narrative of Australia, exploring new perspectives and highlighting the perspectives of Indigenous communities.
Faraway Downs is about a posh British expat, Lady Sarah Ashley, who moves to Australia after inheriting a cattle ranch called Faraway Downs. She teams up with a cattle drover, known as The Drover, to save the struggling business.
