Out with the manga, in with the witch. Mila Kunis has left the Hughes Brothers‘ planned live-action Akira adapatation for Sam Raimi‘s Oz, The Great And Powerful, a prequel to The Wizard of Oz starring James Franco as the title character.

The most recent Oz rewrite comes courtesy of David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole), and “tells the story of the origins of the Wizard, and of Oz’s infamous witches like Glinda, who becomes the Good Witch of the North, and Evanorah, who becomes the Wicked Witch of the East” [Vulture].

Kunis and Franco have worked together before, and well, in their cameo in Shawn Levy’s Date Night last year; it’s arguably the funniest part of the film, so there’s hope to be had.

In regards to Akira, news that Brad Pitt officially passed on the lead role only days ago comes at a bad time. Without Kunis in the sidekick role (it’s understandable she wouldn’t want to play the same character she played in the Hughes’ last film again) or a major star in the lead, the expensive project is now in limbo.

Shooting for Oz is set for July at the Walt Disney Studios.

Which would you rather see, Akira or Oz?

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