Baz Luhrmann talks ‘The Get Down’ - New York hip hop is in good hands… a white French man

Now that Baz Luhrmann has started casting his new Netflix original The Get Down; his choice to cast established actors will be balanced off by the fresh talent he’s brining onboard. Luhrmann and his team have done what every old person trying to get their hands on the pulse of the youth would do- set up a web page with pretty colors. The site TheGetDownCasting.com, is where performers will be able to submit video auditions. He’s currently looking for young African-American and Latino actors to recreate the 1970s New York feel… so sorry anyone who’s ever been in a David Cronenberg film, cause you have two things working against you: You’re both white AND old.

Though casting is still underway, the story has been developed and recently Luhrmann spilled the beans about some details about The Get Down.

The idea for the show has been percolating inside Luhrmann’s head for close to a decade.
“I’ve been on this since before Gatsby,” he says. “Not constantly. But for about seven years, and maybe as long as ten … I’ve had this kind of passion to explore the big idea — a city that’s on its knees, and a borough that’s beyond on its knees. And out of it comes a cultural force that, 40 years later, it’s an all-pervasive culture, not just here but throughout the world. Look at what’s going on with Hamilton, the play on Broadway, or Empire.

I’m sure that no one has ever thanked Luhrmann for taking his time when making the The Great Gatsby remake. Sure, it’s pretty but no one wants to see the troubled lives of rich white people, they have Downton Abbey for that. This show on the other hand, has a story that’s just as interesting as the possible look this visionary director will bring. It’d be like if David Lynch directed an episode of Empire.

Season one will take place over three years.
“We start right in ’77, and we finish [season one] on the dawn of the ’80s,” Luhrmann says. And, yes, because of that time frame, The Get Down will tackle the disco era. “A lot of people think disco happened and then hip-hop came along,” he says. “But there was a very, very potent crossover period, and we’re really exploring that. Disco gets written off because it went through a dumbing-down period toward the end. But there was a very rich period of disco, of dance music that was very underground.”

Luhrmann doesn’t shock me by saying he’s a fan of disco. But having a idea of how this man’s mind works and how much he seems to understand the history he’s trying to capture, I’m not doubting him on his ability to make this already mind blowing decade of hip-hop history interesting.

He also has said that he’s working on getting some great collaborators on the soundtrack, so if anything you can download the album.

There’s no release date for the show yet but the trailer that is circulating will reassure you that the beginning of New York hip hop is in good hands… a white French man’s hands to be exact.