BOWEN could be set to play host to some of Hollywood’s A-list including Aussie stars Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and director Baz Luhrmann.
Luhrmann, the Australian writer and director of Strictly Ballroom, Romeo and Juliet, Moulin Rouge and musical La Boheme, is seeking the perfect site for his next film project which will star two of Australia’s hottest acting talents.

Bowen mayor Mike Brunker said Bowen’s wide streets and ‘‘old-time feel’’ was just what Luhrmann and his team had in mind.

‘‘Baz was here on Wednesday — so fingers crossed we’ve got the tick for the flick,’’ he said.

Cr Brunker said filming in Bowen would raise the profile of the town.
‘‘There’s a huge economic benefit — I think they want to be here for three or four months,’’ he said.

Bowen is just one of the short-listed towns because of it’s 1930s appearance and similarity to an early Darwin.

Cr Brunker said the $40 million movie had a war theme and a bit of romance.

Perhaps it was the romance that moved Crowe.

‘‘The first draft I read — goosebumps twice and tears at the end,’’ he told Macquarie Radio yesterday.

‘‘It’s fantastic.’’

Nicole Kidman, who starred in Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge, is also set to star in the film, which as yet has no title.

The Australian-set, period epic drama will be filmed on the vacant block of land down at the front beach, Cr Brunker said. ‘‘They’ll have to build a proper set,’’ he said.

‘‘Of course our very romantic jetty out the front will play a part in that as well,’’ he said.

The film has been likened to Gone With The Wind and is said to be a break from the flamboyant and theatrical style of Luhrmann’s previous three projects.