In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Baz Luhrmann revealed that his new series THE GET DOWN has faced multiple production delays and over-expenditures, but it will all be worth it once viewers see the final product. Costing a reported $120 million for the 12-episodes which comprise the first season, the music-driven drama is set in New York in 1977 and chronicles the rise of hip-hop and the last days of disco, told through the lives, music, art and dance of the South Bronx kids who would change the world forever.
"I heard The Crown was the most expensive show ever made, that's what someone told me," Luhrmann told THR. "Yes, it took longer and it's been more difficult than I imagined. As for the number, it wasn't cheap. But I don't think it's the most expensive show. I think it's on the high end of storytelling."
He went on to explain why his new series differs from other music-themed shows such as GLEE and Empire. "One of the differences is that probably the scope and scale of The Get Down - it expands even more than the first six episodes," he said. "All my leads were minors - the lead characters - were young kids. The complexity of that [with the limitations of child labor laws on set] and they had to learn how to rap, dance ... you'd be on the set for five minutes then off you go with teaching and schooling."
He also revealed that should the series get picked up for a sophomore season, he would turn his attention to a different decade. "A second season would be the '80s," he said. "On a creative level, it would be wildly exciting. ... I'm getting old, isn't it time for me to retire? I'm never going to abandon the show. I want this show to do what we set out to do - to honor those kids. ... I want everyone who gave so much to this to be rewarded and a second season would be a good thing but it has to be done in a way in which there's no dropping quality."
The first half of THE GET DOWN premieres Friday, Aug. 12. Watch the recently released trailer below:
About the show: From Baz Luhrmann and a team of collaborators including four-time Oscar® winner and fellow executive producer Catherine Martin, legendary MC and executive producer Nas, associate producer Grandmaster Flash, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, co-creator and executive producer Stephen Adly Guirgis; and expert collaborators, including hip-hop historian and supervising producer Nelson George, The Get Down is a mythic saga of how New York at the brink of bankruptcy gave birth to a new art form. Set in New York in 1977, this music-driven drama series chronicles the rise of hip-hop and the last days of disco -- told through the lives, music, art and dance of the South Bronx kids who would change the world forever.
The cast of the The Get Down includes Shameik Moore (Shaolin Fantastic), Justice Smith (Ezekiel "Books" Figuero), Herizen Guardiola (Mylene Cruz), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Cadillac), Jaden Smith (Dizzee Kipling), Skylan Brooks (Ra Ra Kipling), Tremaine Brown Jr. (Boo Boo Kiping), Mamoudou Athie (Grandmaster Flash), Jimmy Smits (Francisco "Papa Fuerte" Cruz) and Giancarlo Esposito (Ramon Cruz).
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