Craig Pearce

Writer

Craig Pearce has penned some of Australia’s most iconic and internationally renowned films in his longstanding creative partnership with director Baz Luhrmann.

Strictly Ballroom, the feature adaptation of the critically acclaimed original stage play, won eight AFI awards (including Best Screenplay), was nominated for five BAFTAS (including Best Screenplay), won the Prix de la Jeunesse at the Cannes Film Festival and the NSW Premier’s Literary Award for Best Screenplay. In 2014 Strictly Ballroom, the stage musical had its world premiere in Sydney and went on to be performed in Leeds, Toronto and on The West End.

William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, starring Leonard DiCaprio and Claire Danes, broke box office records for Shakespeare worldwide, earning numerous nominations and awards, among them an Academy Award nomination, the Alfred Bauer Award, the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and four BAFTAs (including Best Screenplay).

Moulin Rouge!, starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, opened Cannes Film Festival in 2001. The Screenplay received Golden Satellite, BAFTA, FCCA and WGA Best Screenplay nominations, whilst the films many accolades numbered a staggering 84 awards and 130 nominations. Among them, nine Golden Satellite awards, three Golden Globes, two National Board of Review Awards, five Australian AFI Awards, and nominations for eight Academy Awards. Moulin Rouge! The Musical premiered on Broadway in July 2019, and has since opened internationally including London, Australia, a US tour and further productions planned for Cologne, Seoul and Tokyo.

Opening the 66th Cannes Film Festival in 2013, The Great Gatsby starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan and Joel Edgerton and was a worldwide box office hit. Among its numerous accolades the film received two Academy Awards, twelve AACTA Awards and two BAFTA Awards.

Craig’s other credits include a feature film adaptation of Charlie St. Cloud, starring Zac Efron, for Universal Studios, and an original 10-part television series, Will, which aired on TNT, with Craig writing and executive producing.

In 2016 Craig was awarded the Australian Writers’ Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.

Craig’s most recent TV credit Pistol is based on the memoir of Steve Jones, the legendary Sex Pistols guitarist who helped usher in a punk revolution in Britain. The mini-series is directed by Danny Boyle with Craig writing and executive producing.

Craig recently collaborated once more with Baz Luhrmann, as a credited co-writer of the screenplay of Elvis Presley biopic Elvis. The film stars Tom Hanks and Austin Butler. Following a Cannes debut, the film opened globally in June 2022. It was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Screenplay in Film.

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