Deconstructed Westerns are as Australian as Foster's Lager, so it sounds fitting that Justin Kurzel (Assassin's Creed) wants to bring Peter Carey's gritty, unromantic telling of the True History of the Kelly Gang to life. Kurzel's joined by his Snowtown cohort, writer Shaun Grant, to help bring the days of the storied bushwhacker to life.
Now the Kelly Gang is starting to flesh out for this re-working of the legend, as George McKay (Pride) has been cast as the titular leader, while Russell Crowe (The Nice Guys) and Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road) have also signed on for Kurzel's gothic Western. Joining them are Essie Davis (The Babadook), whose presence is really going to round out what's shaping up to be a stellar cast.
Kelly died at age twenty-five, during an 1880 shootout with Australian police. So, this is going to be a real life fast/die young tale. If Kurzel can concoct something remotely close to The Proposition or The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Rbert Ford with this crew, it could be one hell of a movie once they start rolling in March.