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Australian director casts for star for Vietnam movie

Australian director Bruce Beresford is looking to cast a big name star in his next film, but says that fellow Aussie Russell Crowe is too old to be cast in the lead.

Beresford, the acclaimed director of Driving Miss Daisy and Paradise Road, said that he would be happy to cast Crowe in another role in the film, a Vietnam War drama about the Battle of Long Tan.

"The problem with war movies characteristically is that all the guys playing the soldiers are too old," news.com.au reports him saying.

"I certainly would rather cast people who are the right age for the parts - that was a battle fought by very young guys."

Beresford, who has directed the likes of Tommy Lee Jones, Morgan Freeman and Sharon Stone, said that he needed a famous name attached to his film to improve the chances of it going into production.

The filmmaker is looking to begin filming in Sydney and North Queensland early next year.

"I have got a lot of research to do," he said.

Crowe was originally on Beresford’s radar because of his outspoken love of his home country.

"Long Tan would probably appeal to Russell's patriotism but I don't know if that would work," he said.

Crowe recently dismissed rumours that he would be playing Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin in a film and pulled out of another Australia director, Baz Lurhman’s homemade, untitled romantic epic co-starring Nicole Kidman. Hugh Jackman has taken his place.



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