Baz Luhrmann: I was an idiot to reject 'Harry Potter'

London: 'The Great Gatsby' helmer Baz Luhrmann had turned down the opportunity to direct the 'Harry Potter' films in favour of shooting movie musical 'Moulin Rouge'.

The 50-year-old filmmaker said he was contacted by producers of the wizarding franchise while they were planning the first big screen installment, 2001's 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone', reported Contactmusic.

"The first one came along and they rang me, and while I love the pictures and the books now, then I thought, 'What's that?'

"And I said, 'Well that sounds interesting, but I'm thinking of doing a reinvention of the modern musical,' and that was Moulin Rouge! So I'm an obvious idiot, because I should have taken Harry Potter," he said.