Ledger quits Noyce’s Dirt Music film
Source: The West Australian
28th November 2006, 6:00 WST

Phillip Noyce’s highly anticipated adaptation of Tim Winton’s award-winning novel Dirt Music has been dealt a blow with the withdrawal of Heath Ledger.

Ledger was to have joined British Oscar winner Rachel Weisz in the multimillion-dollar production, scheduled to be shot in WA in the middle of next year.

But Ledger’s role as The Joker in the next Batman movie means the 26-yearold actor will almost certainly drop out.

“Batman is a huge special effects movie so there’s no date on when they will finish shooting and be ready for us,“ Noyce explained over the phone from Sydney.

Noyce says that Ledger hasn’t worked for more than a year so it is understandable he would accept such a lucrative and interesting role.

“Australian filmmakers simply can’t compete against Hollywood studios in what they can afford to pay its actors,” Noyce said.

The veteran Australian director, whose latest film Catch A Fire opened last week, would not reveal the names on the shortlist to replace Ledger in the role of Luther Fox, the emotionally damaged poacher who falls in love with a depressed fisherman’s wife.

But Noyce said that it will have to be an actor of similar stature to Ledger, who vaulted into superstar status after Brokeback Mountain, to attract the millions needed.

Eric Bana is the logical favourite with the likes of Sam Worthington, Guy Pearce and Tom Long some way back.

MARK NAGLAZAS
MOVIE EDITOR