Ledger off Dirt Music

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by: Jonathan Frey Nov. 23, 2006

Today's apparently Australian day on JoBlo.com (it's our own special, completely irrelevant way of celebrating Thanksgiving): while one Aussie production gains a title, another loses a star. We reported a while back that both Heath Ledger and Rachel Weisz were in final negotiations to star in the Tom Winton novel-based DIRT MUSIC. Now the film's director, Philip Noyce, tells Moviehole that Ledger is officially off the project because "he's doing The Joker, instead", a statement which doesn't suggest the slightest bit of rancor. Just kidding, I'm sure Noyce is cool with it. Weisz is still on to star as Georgie Jutland, an alcoholic woman who's married to the most prosperous fisherman of a small fishing town in Australia, but no word yet on who will now take over the role of Luther Fox, the poor fisherman who loses his entire family in a tragic accident, to whom Georgie is drawn and vice versa. We'll keep you posted.

Source: Moviehole

Extra Tidbit: The term "Dirt Music" refers to music played on a verandah or porch without electricity.

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absolutezero
6:04PM on 11/23/2006 Add as a friend | MFC profile
This book is brilliant, one of the best Australian novels ever written. But Heath Ledger is not Luther Fox. Russell Crowe, pre-Good Year, would have been perfect. Maybe he still is a possibility. The character is withdrawn, not funny, a loner, musical, and has tragedy hanging around his neck.

Crowe could do it, but I'm sure there are a lot of possibles in the country also.
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This book is brilliant, one of the best Australian novels ever written. But Heath Ledger is not Luther Fox. Russell Crowe, pre-Good Year, would have been perfect. Maybe he still is a possibility. The character is withdrawn, not funny, a loner, musical, and has tragedy hanging around his neck.

Crowe could do it, but I'm sure there are a lot of possibles in the country also.

Not sure about Rachel Weisz, how about finding an Australian to play an Australian role?! Although I might be wrong (she might have had an English past in the novel).

/End Rant.