Jehanne d’Arc: Baz Luhrmann finds his Joan of Arc in Isla Johnston

Baz Luhrmann is set to tackle the story of Joan of Arc as his next project. Titled Jehanne d’Arc, the film will tell the epic tale of Joan of Arc, a teenager who claimed to be acting under divine guidance as she helped lead France to victory during the siege of Orléans. She stood by Charles VII during his coronation of the King of France but was later captured and handed over to the English. They put her on trial for heresy, and she was ultimately burned at the stake at the young age of nineteen.

Deadline has revealed that Luhrmann has now found his star in Isla Johnston. Viewers of The Queen’s Gambit might recognize Johnston as she played the younger version of the Beth Harmon character, which was a breakout role for Anya Taylor-Joy. Luhrmann co-wrote the script with playwright Ava Pickett. Pickett had even recently conducted the first reading of the script for most of the teams from Warner Bros. This included people from production offices to the marketing and publicity offices. Luhrmann’s design partner, Catherine Martin, would present with Pickett with a visual presentation.

There have been plenty of adaptations of Joan of Arc’s story going back over 100 years (which seems appropriate for a story about the Hundred Years’ War), but Luhrmann is sure to add his distinctive visual flair to the project, which could include some of his signature anachronistic soundtrack picks. Some of the more notable adaptations include Victor Fleming’s 1948 movie starring Ingrid Bergman and Luc Besson’s 1999 movie starring Milla Jovovich.

Luhrmann was previously attached to develop the English-language adaptation of the Russian novel The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. The story finds the Devil and his entourage visiting the Soviet Union and includes elements of religion, satire, comedy, and the supernatural. Luhrmann stepped away from the project earlier this year, reportedly due to concerns over the book rights.

Fans have been eager for Luhrmann’s next project, particularly after the success of Elvis. The 2022 musical biopic starred Austin Butler as the King of Rock n’ Roll and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor. He also released Faraway Downs on Hulu and Disney+ last year, a six-episode mini-series which was an extended version of Australia, the 2008 movie starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. “I was inspired to re-approach my film Australia to create Faraway Downs because of the way episodic storytelling has been reinvigorated by the streaming world,” Luhrmann said. “With over 2 million feet of film from the original piece, my team and I were able to revisit anew the central themes of the work. I am honored to world premiere Faraway Downs in Australia, the place that has inspired me and my work my entire life, and with a partner like SXSW who deeply recognizes the intersection of film, television and music with storytelling.“

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