She hears voices. So does Luhrmann.
Not literally (we hope), but Baz Luhrmann's filmmaking voice has always shouted in electric technicolor—frenetic, operatic, and unashamedly maximalist. So when Deadline confirmed his next film, Jehanne d'Arc, would tackle the legend of Joan of Arc, it sounded less like a period piece and more like a spiritual rave.
Now comes a whisper—via reliable insider Daniel RPK—that The Last of Us breakout Bella Ramsey has been offered the titular role. The response? Equal parts intrigue and ignition. Ramsey, whose performances thrum with vulnerability and defiance, might be the Joan we didn't know we needed.
But let's be blunt: Baz Luhrmann doing Joan of Arc isn't just a curveball—it's a meteor veering off script.
Joan, Reborn (Again)
Hollywood's obsession with Joan isn't new. She's been martyr, feminist icon, and misunderstood teen warrior—sometimes all at once. Maria Falconetti's silent-era saint in The Passion of Joan of Arc remains the gold standard: anguished, stripped bare, and transcendent. Luc Besson gave her a high-gloss, sword-swinging glow-up in 1999. Bruno Dumont's two-part Joan saga? Pure French arthouse surrealism.
But Luhrmann's version promises something else: spectacle.
Think Romeo + Juliet's gun-toting Capulets by way of medieval France. Or Elvis, with battle cries replacing rock anthems. Luhrmann's never met a biopic he didn't want to rewire. And while some critics dismissed Elvis as visual noise, others saw a tragic opera about fame, control, and sacrifice.
Sound familiar? Because that's Joan's story too.
Bella Ramsey: The Reluctant Revolutionary?
Ramsey isn't an obvious pick. But maybe that's the point.
They shattered expectations as Ellie in The Last of Us—tough, tender, trauma-hardened. As Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, they stole scenes with a glare. What they lack in conventional movie-star wattage, they make up for in lived-in conviction.
And Joan needs that. She's not a Marvel heroine in chainmail. She's a peasant girl torched for believing the divine spoke through her. Bella Ramsey brings that paradox: fierce enough to lead an army, raw enough to burn at the stake.
Still, questions linger: Will Luhrmann's hyper-style smother Ramsey's subtlety? Can Joan's message survive the glitter and gloss?
Baz vs. History: A Pattern Emerges
Luhrmann's Faraway Downs (the 2023 Hulu reimagining of Australia) tried to reshape a lukewarm epic into a prestige miniseries. It didn't exactly reignite critical love. But it revealed something: Luhrmann's obsession with reclaiming control over legacy. Not just his own—but history's.
Jehanne d'Arc might be his boldest swing yet. With Warner Bros. backing and location scouting already underway, production could ramp up fast. But the stakes are as high as Joan's pyre. In a post-Barbie, post-Oppenheimer era where historical figures are being dusted off and dressed up for box office and memes, Luhrmann must find the soul under the spectacle.
Would You Follow Her?
You'll either love this or hate it. But if Bella Ramsey accepts the call—and Luhrmann can balance vision with reverence—we might get the Joan of Arc adaptation that actually feels like a calling.
Or just another fever dream. Either way—I'm watching.
