Baz Luhrmann is being his indulgent glitz to television with a hip hop drama. Netflix has already picked the show up for a full season.
The series is titled The Get Down and will run 13 episodes, the Hollywood Reporter confirmed today. Luhrmann will direct the first two episodes and the season finale.
While this is Luhrmann’s first foray into television, he’s enlisted The Shield’s Shawn Ryan to executive produce with him. Catherine Martin, Luhrmann’s wife, will be the costume and production designer. She won Oscars for her work in both fields in Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby.
As for Luhrmann himself, he was nominated for Best Picture for co-producing Moulin Rouge!.
The Get Down will be produced by Sony Pictures TV and is set during the 1970s in New York. It centers on how the city stormed back from near bankruptcy to become a hotbed for hip-hop, punk and disco, through the eyes of a group of South Bronx teenagers.
Of course, hip-hop seems to be a big topic on television as of late. Fox has a huge hit on its hands with Empire, while Starz is getting good ratings out of 50 Cent’s Power. Vh1 also has its own in development, titled The Breaks.
And shows about music scenes of any genre is big over at HBO. New York in the ‘70s is also the focus of Martin Scorsese’s Rock ‘n’ Roll project for the network and Elton John is developing a show about Vienna’s music scene in the 18th century.
Luhrmann is best known for his outrageous movies and visual style, as seen in Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby. He also directed Australia and Romeo + Juliet.
The Get Down is expected to premiere next year.
image courtesy of INFphoto.com