Baz Luhrmann. You know the name. He's the dude behind the hella underrated Moulin Rouge, the equally underrated The Great Gatsby, and everyone's favorite version of Romeo & Juliet. For his latest visual feat, Luhrmann is taking Netflix viewers back to 1970s-era New York City in The Get Down, South Bronx to be exact. If the series' first trailer didn't exactly get you hyped, then what's wrong with you? Also, this latest teaser should do the trick.
The Get Down is described as a "mythic saga" told through the music and lives of a group of South Bronx teens, including the ambitious Ezekiel, played by Justice Smith (Paper Towns). Jimmy Smits, Shameik Moore, Giancarlo Esposito, Jaden Smith, and Yolonda Ross have also been confirmed for the show. When pairing this latest look at the series with the trailer released back in January, one thing is clear: that distinctive Luhrmann style is alive and well.
"One of the great collaborations is that I've been working really closely in creating these rhymes, and he's a producer on the film, with one of the most iconic voices of the '90s and that's Nas," Luhrmann toldEntertainment Weekly during a Tribeca Film Festival panel in April. "And so Nas has been this other huge creative force in the production. And it's been playing really, really successfully." According to Luhrmann, the rhymes in question are a blend of "pure rap, narration, and sort-of Greek chorus comment."
Peep the series' official synopsis below:
Summer 1977. New York City is broken down and beaten-up. Armed only with verbal games, improvised dance steps, some markers and spray cans, this rag-tag crew of South Bronx teenagers will make a pact that becomes bigger than all of them and change their lives -- and the world -- forever.
For those unfamiliar with Luhrmann's work, check out this fire AF scene from Romeo + Juliet and then reevaluate your life:
The Get Down raises the palette starting Aug. 12 on Netflix.
