"New Ned Kelly Movies" Topic

Yes, I wish filmmakers would show more imagination and expose the lives of some other, more successful bushrangers of the 2000 or so who plied their trade in colonial Australia, and maybe even put other aspects of Australia's frontier history on the big screen, but this being the age of playing it safe and pandering to the LCD…

Matthew Holmes, the man behind the oddly titled* 2016 independent film 'The Legend of Ben Hall' seems to have forgotten his pledge to make a prequel about the origins of Hall's gang and introduce audiences to Hall's mentor, Frank Gardiner, and has instead turned his energies to the lazier, tantalisingly more potentially lucrative option of rehashing the Kelly story yet again; or at least a part of it. His pending epic 'Glenrowan' does for Ned what his previous bushranger pic did for Hall, this time even more tightly focussed on the latter part of his subject's life, covering only the last 42 hours of Kelly's outlaw career at the titular siege. His spin is again that he's seeking to cut through the myths to expose the historical truth, however, he's still struggling to finance his latest project, whereas…

Justin Kerzel (Snowtown) has 'The True Story of the Kelly Gang', based on Peter Carey's paradoxically titled novel of the same name, already in production, with a cast that includes Russell Crowe as Ned's mentor Harry Power; no need to bet on which production will be released first.

I've read that there are currently three Kelly films in preparation, but the third contender remains a mystery to me.

*Holmes' mantra is historical fidelity, as opposed to myth and legend.

Found it! The third film is 'Stringybark', a short by a 19 year-old film student that seeks to tell the story of the policemen killed by the Kelly Gang at the titular shootout/murder (take your pick) on a grand budget of… AUD$15000!

Holmes was also trying to fund via Kickstarter a short film on the same incident, called 'Blood and Thunder', but there's an announcement on his Facebook page that it's on hold for now. No doubt, in contrast with 'Stringybark', it would have framed the incident from Ned's perspective, and down the track would probably have been merged with 'Glenrowan' to make a more complete Kelly film.

Hope Holmes is successful as I really enjoyed The Legend of Ben Hall. I suppose the attraction of a Ned Kelly film to financiers is that he is a better known figure internationally so there is a chance of a return on their money.

Please tell me that Mick Jagger won't be in any of them.

22nd Foot +1 for providing why the Ned Kelly tale needs retelling.

22nd Foot – I'm pleased to be able to report that Mick Jagger has been cast in all three films… as a corpse.

Well, they could use Bert Chandler's novel 'Kelly Country' and do it Steampunk.