Very exciting news about David's involvement with the upcoming Baz Lurhrmann epic, 'Australia'. I'm also thrilled that Bryan Brown is one of the leads, because he's been off the radar screen for quite awhile. The last thing I saw him in was "The Thorn Birds" (which still remains one of my all-time favorite Aussie productions). His rugged, rough-hewn exterior seemed to have grown right out of the sun-bleached outback. Like a baby bird, I imprinted on him, and he became the standard against which all other Aussie actors were measured. After F/X, for some reason, he disappeared. He was wasted in Mullet and Spring Break Shark Attack. (Wasted as in "underutilized", not as in "drunk". Though I shouldn't presume to speak for him.) Like David, he was bitten by the acting bug early on, and like David, he once had a job selling insurance.
The title Australia isn't terribly specific - it's only marginally more informative than a title like Lots of Land, or Stuff Happening To People would be. I guess it's meant to evoke the grand epic sweep of a journey, a country, and a period in history (Baz Luhrmann has said he wanted to recreate the stirring landscapes from American films he saw as a youth).
In accordance with MPAA regulations, David's role has been classified and sealed in a lead-lined bunker beneath the scorching sands of Nevada. As my esteemed colleague pengwyn said, we'll find out in a couple of years who he's playing. Patience, grasshopper. Patience.
