In the time of remakes and franchise revitalization, it seems that Warner Bros. has its sights set on a true American classic. According to Steven Zeitchik from the LA Times, the studio is not only determined to remake the beloved childhood musical (as MGM was in 2008), but is actually examining two existing projects with intent of pursuing one for the silver screen. Collider reports that these projects have actually been dead for at least a year, so don’t expect any new movement soon. Nonetheless, check them out below.
One project, called Oz, is being produced by Temple Hill (Twilight) under Warner’s New Line label. The script for this project has been written by Darren Lemke, a writer on the upcoming Shrek Forever After.
A second “Wizard of Oz” project, has actually been kicking around Warner Bros. for the past few years. It has been written by Josh Olson (A History of Violence) and focuses on the present day adventures of Dorothy’s granddaughter, who returns to Oz to fight evil. Basil Iwanyk (Clash of the Titans) and his Thunder Road Pictures are set to produce. Todd MacFarlane (Spawn) has also been involved in a producing capacity.
When MacFarlane first discussed the project and his collaboration with Olsen to Variety in 2007, he described that, “My pitch was ‘How do we get people who went to ‘Lord of the Rings’ to embrace this?’ I want to create (an interpretation) that has a 2007 wow factor. You’ve still got Dorothy trapped in an odd place, but she’s much closer to the Ripley from Alien than a helpless singing girl.”
The original 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz starred Judy Garland as Dorothy, a Kansas farm-girl who finds herself whisked away from her sepia-toned world to a colorful land of munchkins and witches. The film was an upbeat musical, which was somewhat of a departure from Frank Baum’s source book. While a darker cinematic version of the story may surprise lovers of the classic film, it might actually bring the tone closer to the original source.
There may still also be questions about the project’s title. Currently, the book’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” is in the public domain but the film’s “The Wizard of Oz” is not, as MGM still holds the rights it had secured when it had intended to do a remake a few years ago. Only time will tell.
What do you think about the possibility of this remake?