We're so excited for Baz Luhrmann's '70s hip-hop show on Netflix that we're breakdancing in our seats

By Fusion Staff  |  February 6, 2015 | 2:39pm
Latest

Baz Luhrmann doesn’t do subtlety, which is one reason why we’re super stoked about his upcoming Netflix series, The Get Down, with Shawn Ryan of The Shield. The show will be a hip-hop drama focusing on grimy 1970s New York, but our fingers are majorly crossed for the bright colors and “acid chic” of Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby.

The news comes after Vh1 announced The Breaks, a made-for-TV, hip-hop industry-focused movie slated for release fall 2015, and the runaway success of Fox’s Empire. Hip-hop is having a serious moment in TV’s second golden age and we could not be more excited for it.  If we know anything about Baz Luhrmann, we know we can expect the following:

Current songs reimagined for the 1970s

Baz Luhrmann has a real knack for repurposing today’s hits to fit the periods his films encompass. In Gatsby, we heard Jay Z and Lana Del Rey crooning 1920s style. For Moulin Rouge, we heard David Bowie, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, etc., all made to fit the mise en scene of turn-of-the-century Paris. Perhaps we’ll hear Kanye or Kendrick Lamar raps to fit Sugarhill Gang’s sensibilities.

Over-the-top costuming

The 1970s was a landmark time for fashion. It was the meeting of the venn diagram that is hippie chic and metallic futurist. I cannot wait to see the interpretation Baz and Academy Award winning costume designer Catherine Martin put together for the show.

Complex, love-motivated characters

In addition to color and flair, all of Luhrmann’s features have centered around the theme of unfulfilled love. In Moulin Rouge, we see Christian lose Satine, just as it becomes possible for them to be together. The Great Gatsby and Romeo and Juliet are revered because of their tragic sense of loss. It will be incredibly unique to see ’70s urbanites portrayed as deeply-affected, multi-faceted characters on the quest for love and happiness.

The show is due to stream in 2016, so we’ll just have to get all of our life from Cookie and the gang until then.

Images via FOX, 20th Century FOX, and Netflix

Akilah Hughes is a comedian, YouTuber, and staff writer and producer for Fusion’s culture section. You can almost always find her waxing poetic about memes and using too many emojis.

 
Join the discussion...