With an estimated budget of $127,000,000 dollars, Baz Luhrmann 3D love story isn’t doing things by halves and has already got both film fanatics and fans of Fitzgerald bursting with excitement at the thought of this film, penned in for the end of the year. Luhrmann’s flair with feature length romantic epics has seen him work with Leonardo 20 years ago, with his version of ‘Romeo & Juliet’. The world can hardly wait to see the magic that will be made now that they have been reunited and we all also remember the heartbreakingly nostalgic ‘Moulin Rouge’ (2001), so it was about time that the world was treated to another bout of tears and popcorn at the cinemas.

 Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan's embrace.

His 2012 outing is an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s tale of American during the 1920s, when post First World War USA’s economy soared at the same time as the ban of alcohol was slowly being slotted into place. This scenario, as well as the bootleggers (those that were involved in illegal smuggling of alcoholic beverages), add colour to the backdrop of the novel, contributing to the book’s popularity. Honing in on this period of time, Fitzgerald caught the imagination of the world when the book was republished in 1945, offering a window into a period of time when emotions ran high and millionaires toppled as quickly as they rose.

 Leonardo DiCaprio looking dapper as Jay Gatsby

Based in New York, the story opens with the narrator, Nick Carraway, moving to New York, Long Island, to pursue work and ends up renting a house next to the mansion of Gatsby, a residence where lavish parties are hosted by a gentleman who goes by the name of Jay Gatsby. Love enters the story in the form of Daisy Buchanan, for who Nick falls for but later finds out is the ex-lover of Gatsby. From here, the plot spins into a life of extravagance, cover-ups and rediscovered love, leading to a tragic end that only a Baz Luhrmann epic will be able to capture. Remember the closing scene of ‘Moulin Rouge’? I think we can expect something like that… trauma. I mean, when I originally saw ‘Moulin Rouge’, it was with my nan, who insists on repeating the storyline to you as you’re watching a film, so I am not too sure if it was the film or frustration that evoked my tears. Either way, we are all in for a treat.

 On the set of The Great Gatsby: (l-r) Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Joel Edgerton.

For this silver-screen outing, Baz has enlisted the help of epic favourite, Leonardo DiCaprio (Jay Gatsby), Tobey Maguire (Nick Carraway) and the darling Carey Mulligan (Daisy Buchanan), whose characters are all intertwined with and affected by those played by Isla Fisher (Myrtle Wilson) and Jason Clarke (George Wilson).  With a cast like this, you know that you are going to have trouble not getting whipped up in drama as it plays out on the big screen.

Want to see what all the fuss is about? Well here is the official trailer for The Great Gatsby...

And, if that's not enough, just think about Baz Luhrmann’s last efforts and, for the hell of it, listen to some advice by Mary Schmich which the director in question turned into a hit song in the late 90s.

Written by Ben Taylor