Carey Mulligan Officially Cast as Daisy in Baz Luhrmann’s THE GREAT GATSBY

One of the most coveted roles in Hollywood has just been filled. Last week we told you that Carey Mulligan was the frontrunner to star in Director Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby, and now he’s made it official. In a statement to Deadline, Luhrmann wrote, “I was thrilled to pick up the phone an hour ago to the young Oscar-nominated British actress Carey Mulligan and say to her: ‘Hello, Daisy Buchanan.’”  Mulligan was on a long list of candidates who were considered for the role that included her Never Let Me Go co-star Keira Knightley, Amanda Seyfried, Blake Lively, Natalie Portman, and Rebecca Hall.

Joining Mulligan will most likely be Leonardo Dicaprio as Gatsby himself, and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway. Luhrmann is known to workshop his films well before they go into production and Gatsby was no exception.  Dicaprio and Maguire had been joined by a few of the actresses shortlisted for the role of Daisy, including Mulligan, in recent weeks.  It’s not known how soon the film will go into production, however, as Luhrmann said there are still a few elements that need to be resolved before he decides that this is his next film.  The Moulin Rouge! director is currently deciding between Gatsby and an unknown musical said to be set in New York. Either one sounds like fantastic territory for the Australian director.