Baz Luhrmann's expensive epic adventure "Australia" may not be delivering a heroic performance at the North American box office ($130 million budget; $39.1 million gross), but that doesn't scare the director in any way.

During a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Luhrmann defended his latest movie, saying that "Moulin Rouge!" performed almost just as slowly at the box office. Indeed, the movie ended up grossing only $57.3 million, but it also costed a lot less.

Still, Luhrmann is pretty confident "Australia" will stick around a while. "'Moulin Rouge!' was supposed to go away," Luhrmann told THR. "Not only has it not gone away, but you can't read about modern musicals without reading about it. 'Australia' will not go away."

The Australian director also chatted a bit about his next project, an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel "The Great Gatsby," which is set during the roaring '20s.

Luhrmann said he would try and get this movie done faster than "Australia," although he has not decided on what studio to work with quite yet. He said he's currently talking to all those that are interested in the project.

Well Mr. Luhrmann, I wish you good luck. I'm one of those who really enjoyed "Australia" for several reasons, and if I had the time, I'd gladly see it again.