Baz Luhrmann Eyes Jazz Age Wuthering Heights

Acclaimed Australian director Baz Luhrmann has unveiled plans to create a “Jazz Age” reinterpretation of Charli XCX’s Wuthering Heights soundtrack, blending 1920s sophistication with contemporary pop. The announcement came during an interview with Wallpaper, where Luhrmann also revealed his latest creative endeavour: a bespoke Pullman train carriage for Belmond’s British Pullman.

The director, whose credits include Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet, and the 2022 Elvis biopic, is collaborating with his wife and creative partner Catherine Martin. The inspiration arose from Luhrmann’s fascination with “slow travel” and the hypnotic, dreamlike quality of train journeys.

“Trains in particular have a way of putting you in a dream-like state where you forget about the realities around you in the world,” he explained.

The carriage, named Celia, is a restoration of an original 1932 Pullman coach, designed to accommodate 12 guests. Its interior will evoke the theatricality of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with lavish floral and faunal motifs, a cocktail bar, lounge, and entertainment area. The aim is to recreate the elegance and extravagance familiar from Luhrmann’s films, reminiscent of the opulence in The Great Gatsby.

Music will form a core element of the experience. Luhrmann intends to approach the soundtrack similarly to his 2013 Gatsby film, in which Bryan Ferry and his jazz orchestra reimagined contemporary pop songs.

“I’d take the soundtrack to Wuthering Heights and do a Jazz Age version of it,” Luhrmann said, referring to Charli XCX’s 2026 soundtrack for the film starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. “Of course, you’d have to ask Charli if that was OK, but I think it would be very exciting.”

He envisions the carriage as more than a journey: a transformative experience offering luxury, joy, and nostalgia.

“In a world so bereft of civility, kindness, warmth, magic, love and beauty, I hope visitors leave feeling like they’ve caught a little of that—alongside exceptional food, laughter and a few drinks. I want them to feel like they’ve been away for a month, not just a day.”

The carriage is set to launch in summer 2026, with further details expected soon.

Charli XCX’s Wuthering Heights soundtrack has been critically praised, earning four stars from NME, described as “delicious gothic pop.” Beyond this project, Charli is contributing to the A24 film Mother Mary, starring Anne Hathaway, appearing in several upcoming films including Erupcja and 100 Nights Of Hero, and has been cast in a horror project with Milly Alcock.

Luhrmann is also developing a stage musical based on Elvis Presley and a new film, Jehanne d’Arc, due in cinemas in 2027, continuing his signature blend of visual grandeur, music, and storytelling.