'Strictly Ballroom' headed to the stage

SYDNEY, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann says he is working on a stage musical adaptation of his first movie "Strictly Ballroom."

Global Creatures Chief Executive Officer Carmen Pavlovic and Bazmark, the multimedia company founded and owned by Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, have announced a partnership to produce the first installment in Luhrmann's Red Curtain Trilogy. The other two movies in the trio are "Moulin Rouge!" and "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet."

Luhrmann said he expects to begin a creative workshop of the stage show's book, text and music in December in Sydney.

The full production schedule and location of the premiere will be announced at a later date.

"Strictly Ballroom" was co-written and directed by Luhrmann, based on a stage play he originally conceived, co-wrote and directed as a student at Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Art. The ballroom-dancing movie became the surprise hit of the 1992 Cannes Film Festival, winning the Prix de le Jeunesse.

"After years of talk about bringing 'Strictly Ballroom' to the musical stage, I'm energized by the partnership we have made with Global Creatures, an Australian company that has made a giant impression on the world's stages over the last three years," Luhrmann said in a statement Thursday.