Baz Luhrmann has officially given the starring role in his The Great Gatsby to Carey Mulligan, the director told Deadline.
The actress, Deadline recounts, was on the reception line for The Fashion Council Awards in New York when she got the call from Luhrmann on Monday — and promptly burst into tears on the red carpet in front of Karl Lagerfield and Anna Wintour.
According to Deadline, the offer came shortly after Luhrmann showed audition footage to Sony Pictures Entertainment execs Amy Pascal and Doug Belgrad. (Last week, Vulture reported that Mulligan was said to be the front-runner.)
Leonardo DiCaprio will play Jay Gatsby and Tobey Maguire is expected to take on the role of Nick Carraway, Deadline notes.
Luhrmann told Deadline. “There are a few elements that I feel need to be resolved before I would categorically state that this is my next film. Regarding the role of Daisy Buchanan, I was privileged to explore the character with some of the world’s most talented actresses, each one bringing their own particular interpretation, all of which were legitimate and exciting. However, specific to this particular production of The Great Gatsby, I was thrilled to pick up the phone an hour ago to the young Oscar-nominated British actress Carey Mulligan and say to her: ‘Hello, Daisy Buchanan’.”
Source: Hollywood Wiretap
