Director Baz Luhrmann reveals his most dangerous film set yet: ‘It nearly killed me’ 

Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann has opened up about the difficulties he faced during the making of his 2008 film Australia.

In a recent cover story with Termthe 60-year-old artist detailed the challenges he faced during the film’s production.

“As a movie experience, it was by far the most tense,” he said.

Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann opened up about the difficulties he faced during the making of his 2008 film Australia.

‘We got equine flu… I went to the desert to photograph and it rained for the first time in 150 years, so I had a grassy desert.

Despite all the drama on set, the passionate filmmaker refused to give up.

“It almost killed me, but I wouldn’t give that up for a day…I was so convinced of that,” he said.

“It almost killed me, but I wouldn’t give up for a single day… I was so intent on it,” he said of the filming process for the project, which stars Hugh Jackman (left) and Nicole Kidman (right).

“At one point Martin Scorsese was involved, and we built studios in Morocco…it was a great adventure, but there came a time when, for personal reasons, I really couldn’t continue.”

Plagued with problems from the start, the drama seemed to boil over upon its theatrical release.

The high-budget film was a commercial failure in the United States: it opened in fifth place at the box office.

Plagued with problems from the start, the drama seemed to boil over upon its theatrical release. The high-budget film was a commercial failure in the United States: it opened in fifth place at the box office.

Set in the early years of World War II, Australia centered on an unlikely romance between an Australian rancher (Jackman) and English aristocrat Lady Sarah (Kidman).

Faraway Downs is the inland cattle station that Lady Sarah inherits when her husband dies. He later finds himself threatened by sinister competitors.

There is also a major story dedicated to Lady Sarah’s bond with a young Aboriginal man named Nullah (Brandon Walters).

The story culminates in the bombing of Darwin by Imperial Japanese forces, which occurred on February 19, 1942.

Before doing Australia, Baz gave up his role in Alexander the Great, which was going to cast Leonardo DiCaprio and Mel Gibson, so he could shoot Australia.

A reimagined film was put in motion by director Oliver Stone, who cast Val Kilmer and Colin Farrell as Philip II and Alexander.

Despite all the drama on set, the passionate filmmaker refused to give up. “He almost killed me, but he wouldn’t give a single day…he was so determined about it,” he said.