The latest big name to plan a series alongside Netflix is Baz Luhrmann. The director known for his flamboyant, bombastic productions will point his camera at 1970s New York City for The Get Down, a series that will debut on Netflix in 2016.
The Get Down will focus on a group of inner-city dancers who work their way from rags to riches in front of the rundown, decrepit background of 70s NYC. The focus on music and dance is important; as Netflix is quick to note in a press release, The Get Down will be Luhrmann’s first “music-driven drama” since Moulin Rouge!, which was nominated for Best Picture at the 2002 Academy Awards.
Luhrmann will direct the first two episodes and the finale of The Get Down, which will span a total of 13 hour-long episodes. Luhrmann is also the series’ executive producer. This arrangement is reminiscent of another Netflix show, House of Cards, which also enlisted a famous director (David Fincher) to helm its first two episodes and serve as executive producer. Fincher’s work on House of Cards ultimately earned him an Emmy Award.
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Netflix is a good platform for Luhrmann, since its less-restrictive nature will allow his big imagination to run wild. He discusses this freedom in a press release:
“In this golden era of TV, the Netflix culture puts no constraint on creative possibilities. So it is a natural home for The Get Down, a project I have been contemplating and working on now for over 10 years. Throughout, I’ve been obsessed with the idea of how a city in its lowest moment, forgotten and half destroyed, could give birth to such creativity and originality in music, art and culture. I’m thrilled to be working with my partners at Sony and collaborating with a team of extraordinary writers and musicians, many of whom grew up with and lived the story we’ve set out to tell.”
No footage of the series is available yet, but Netflix has shared a short teaser built from archival footage:
If you’re interesting in hearing updates about the series, you can follow its official Twitter account.
