H. Duff as Dorthy?

[Sarangel]

This from Jim Hill Media:

Guess which tween star the Walt Disney Company supposedly recently offered a very nice chunk of change, with the hope that she'd then agree to pull on a pair of ruby-red slippers and play Dorothy in "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz"? Would you believe Miss Lizzie McGuire herself, Hillary Duff?

Yes, this is the same performer who -- back in May of 2003 -- angrily stormed away from the Mouse House. Reportedly because Hillary's mother (who also acts as Duff's manager) wasn't "feeling the love" from Disney company executives. At the time, mother & daughter Duff were allegedly asking Mickey for a whole lot more moola if Hillary were to continue working for the Mouse.

Back then, Disney supposedly had big plans for Ms. Duff. These included a new "Lizzie McGuire " TV series (which would have taken the lovable tween from junior high to high school) which was then to have aired on ABC as part of that network's "TGIF" line-up. The company also allegedly wanted to make several sequels to Hillary's highly successful movie debut, "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" (Which wound up grossing $42 million during its domestic run last year).

According to published reports, Disney reportedly offered Duff $35,000 per episode to appear in a new "Lizzie McGuire" TV series. There was also talk of a $500,000 bonus if the tween star would sign to do two sequels to "The Lizzie McGuire Movie." But mother & daughter Duff wanted more. LOTS more. Which is why they noisily walked away from the Mouse House in May of 2003 and began to negotiate with other studios.

Still, it didn't make sense -- career-wise -- for Hillary to totally cut her ties to the Mouse House. Which is why -- back in June of last year -- Ms. Duff signed a three record deal with Disney's Buena Vista Music Group. This turned out to be a pretty shrewd move on on both Hillary & Disney's part. For Ms. Duff's first album -- "Metamorphosis" -- eventually became the 8th biggest selling LP for 2003. This recording sold over 2.4 million copies in the US alone.

Since then, the Mouse has been desperate to kiss & make up with the mother / daughter team. With the hope with the Duffs will eventually return to the Disney fold and make lots more money for the Mouse in the years to come. This is why the "Muppets' Wizard of Oz" script supposedly got dropped in Hillary's lap earlier this month.

Yes, I know. As recently as last Monday, I was telling you guys that Natalie Portman & Anne Hathaway were supposedly the front runners for Dorothy in "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz." But -- according to Mouse House insiders who reached out to me last week -- this is no longer the case.

Mickey's new plan is supposedly to use this project to lure Duff -- who's said to be a huge Muppet fan -- back into the Disney fold. The current hope is that Hillary will jump at the chance to work with Kermit & Co. And that -- sometime over the six weeks that "Wizard of Oz" will be in production this fall -- Disney will finally be able to mend fences with mother & daughter. Which will then clear the way for that new "Lizzie McGuire" TV series for ABC (which could really use a hit right about now) as well as those sequels to the "Lizzie McGuire" movie.

Mind you, nothing's been signed yet. But those in the know consider it very significant that Ms. Duff has chosen to wrap her latest concert tour on September 12th. Just a day before before shooting on "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" was supposed to begin.

Okay, I know. That evidence -- all by itself -- seems somewhat slim. But what if I were to remind you that "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" is being shot up in Northern Vancouver. And that -- on September 11th -- Hillary will actually be performing at Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum. Followed by a one day jaunt over to Alberta to play at Calgary's Pengrowth Saddledome.

So -- given that she's going to be across the border already anyway -- is it really such a stretch of the imagination to think that Hillary Duff would then take advantage of this opportunity to head over the rainbow?

L. Frank Baum fans that I've spoken with about this proposed casting actually seem cautiously optimistic. Why for? Because -- should Hillary Duff sign to play Dorothy in "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" -- this will be the first time in Hollywood history that Baum's heroine is portrayed just as L. Frank originally envisioned her ... as a blonde!

This last comment isn't quite correct. The first printing of the Wizard of Oz had pictures of Dorothy as a brunette, it wasn't until the second printing (and J. O'neill) that Dorothy became a blonde. I happen to like the O'Neill drawings better, but that doesn't make them the originals.

Sarangel

 

[Chuck S]

I also have to wonder about this statement..."Since then, the Mouse has been desperate to kiss & make up with the mother / daughter team. With the hope with the Duffs will eventually return to the Disney fold and make lots more money for the Mouse in the years to come."

Apparently the big $$$ offers from other studios didn't come rolling in to Ms. Duff as she thought they would, either. I would bet that she would be happy to be back at Disney for much less than what she wanted when she left.

 

[jimmytammy]

Hope this is all true. HD, Disney and the Muppets would make a great team.

 

[daber]

I thought Miss Piggy would be playing Dorothy.

 

[Razor Roman]

Originally posted by daber
I thought Miss Piggy would be playing Dorothy.

I heard Piggy will be pulling double duty as the Good witch and the Wicked witch.

 

[Bstanley]

I heard Piggy will be pulling double duty as the Good witch and the Wicked witch

In the words of Lilo

I LIKE IT!



If it's as well done as the Muppet version of "Christmas Carol" it'll be a winner.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

I guess I am going to be a wet blanket here but can someone tell me WHY anyone would attempt to remake this classic. Yes I like the Muppets but jeeze can't we leave well enough alone for once. Seems like everything Disney makes now is a remake of something. The ones that are orinignal Atlantis, Brother Bear to name two are just yuck!! There has to be some material out there that has not been attempted before.

 

[KNWVIKING]

Because it sounds like it will be a fun movie to watch. Because it will make money. Because there is nothing wrong with redoing a classic with a twist. Because after years of trying, Disney now owns the rights to the Muppets and a movie like this can revitalize the brand.

And I'm sorry to say that you even answered your own question with this comment: "The ones that are orinignal Atlantis, Brother Bear to name two are just yuck!! "

 

[Chuck S]

Besides, it is what the Muppets are known for, a comical spin on classics.

 

[Peter Pirate]

Brother Bear is not and was not yuck...Classic story, beautiful animation and likable characters. Not Disney's best but far from their worst.

As for HD, isn't she just 'so yesterday'?

 

[wbc99]

TV Guide reported on its website yesterday that Ashanti and Queen Latifa have been hired to star in the Muppet remake. Maybe more like The Wiz and less like The Wizard of Oz.

 

[mitros]

Can't they leave well enough alone? Judy Garland was the only "real" Dorothy. Wizard of Oz does not need to be made over with the Muppets, IMHO.

 

[Sarangel]

Hang on to your hats, gang. Jim Hill has an update on the story that confirms the Ashani & Queen Latifah rumor:

Ashanti?!

I know, I know. This isn't what you were expecting to hear. Particularly after the past week's worth of stories here at JHM. Where we tried to keep you up to date about what's being going on in the on-going effort to find a Dorothy for the soon-to-begin-shooting "Muppets' Wizard of Oz."

Just to review here: The folks at Henson supposedly wanted Natalie Portman to play the role of Dorothy Gale of Kansas. Disney -- on the other hand -- were said to be pulling for Anne Hathaway of the "Princess Diaries" movies. Thinking that she might make a good compromise candidate, the Mouse reportedly threw a copy of the "Muppets' Wizard of Oz" teleplay at Hillary Duff earlier this month.

And -- based on what I heard -- Ms. Duff really WAS interested in taking on this role. Unfortunately, negotiations allegedly broke down fairly late in the game (How late? Possibly as late as last week) over compensation issues.

So what happened? In a nutshell, Ms. Duff's agent (AKA Hillary's mom) was said to be asking for a truly extraordinary sum of money in order for her daughter to pull on "Judy's red pumps." How much money are we talking here? Something along the lines of what Hillary would have earned to appear in a major motion picture, rather than in a TV movie.

When Disney refused to meet Ms. Duff's initial financial demands, Hillary's mom reportedly made a counter-offer. The tween star would accept less money up front IF Disney would agree to give Duff a sizable chunk of "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" DVD sales further on down the pike.

As you might imagine, the Mouse couldn't swallow this proposal either. Which is why Hillary (who is said to be a huge Muppet fan) reluctantly had to take a pass on the project.

Okay. Now all of this supposedly went down over the past two weeks. Meanwhile, the sets for this TV movie are being constructed up in Northern Vancouver. The finishing touches are being made to all the Oz-ified characters & their costumes (Gonzo's Tin Woodsman outfit and Fozzie's Cowardly Lion get-up are both said to be particularly nifty). But -- meanwhile -- "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" still doesn't have a Dorothy.

Things were really getting down to the wire here. When (I told) some particularly insightful executive at ABC Televison reportedly said: "Wait a minute. We're modeling this TV movie on 'Cinderella,' right? The musical with Brandy and Whitney Houston? So how come we're still only looking at white women to play Dorothy?"

And then -- as quick as you can say "The Wiz" -- a new battle plan was formed. Disney & Henson would now think multi-ethnically when it came to who they should cast as Dorothy Gale. And -- given that Brandy has proven to be such an inspired (more importantly, affordable) choice for 1997's "Cinderella" TV movie -- the Mouse & the Muppets immediately began looking at black recording stars. Which is how they eventually arrived at Ashanti.

Now I know a lot of you out there are hearing about "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" 's initial casting choices (Ashanti?! Queen Latifah?! Quentin Taratino?!) and are automatically thinking "train wreck." My advice is to hang in there, folks. What may sound unlikely now may seem truly inspired when "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" finally airs in Spring of 2005.

As for those of you who'd now like to chide me for supposedly getting this story wrong on Monday ... Believe me, folks. As upset as you may be right now, you're not a 10th as upset as Hillary Duff reportedly is. Though her staff is said to be trying to console the tween pop star (Insisting that maybe it was really for the best that this deal fell through. That -- after her long tour this past summer -- Hillary wasn't in shape to jump straight into a seven week long movie shoot. That she'd just be too exhausted to do justice to the role of Dorothy Gale), Ms. Duff is supposedly truly broken-hearted that she won't now be able to go "Over the Rainbow."

So my apologies to those of you who are upset about Monday's story. But that's what happens when you try to report on an event that's still unfolding. As for Ashanti: Congratulations! Here's wishing you the best of luck in this part. As for Ms. Duff: My condolensces. Better luck next time, kid.

Beyond that ... Here's hoping that -- now that "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" has finally its Dorothy -- that production of this $18 million TV movie goes smoothly. More importantly, that this project turns out to be just the thing that the folks at Henson (as well as the team at Disney) are hoping that it will be: The very thing to revive the Muppets. Turns Kermit & Co. back into the hot commodity that they used to be.

Here's hoping, anyway.

 

[Bstanley]

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Ashanti, Tarantino Off to See Muppets in 'Oz'
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - R&B singer Ashanti and director Quentin Tarantino are set to star in ABC's original movie tentatively titled "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz."
Queen Latifah, meanwhile, is in final negotiations to appear in the Muppet take on the classic L. Frank Baum novel.

Ashanti plays aspiring performer Dorothy Gale, who works at the diner of her Auntie Em (Latifah) in a small Kansas town while dreaming of hitting the big time.

One day, a tornado sweeps up the trailer where Dorothy lives, and she finds herself in a Muppet version of Oz. There, she meets the Munchkins (played by the Muppet rats), the Scarecrow (Kermit the Frog), the Tin Man (Gonzo) and the Lion (Fozzie).

The group's quest to get the Wicked Witch (Miss Piggy) culminates with a fight scene between Dorothy and the witch.

As the action is about to begin, the film cuts to Tarantino pitching to Kermit how the scene should be done -- a cameo written specifically for the "Kill Bill" director.

Kirk R. Thatcher, who directed NBC's successful "Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie" in 2002, is on board to shoot the film, which will air as part of the Wonderful World of Disney franchise. It will feature several music numbers but will not be a musical.

The Jim Henson Co., the creator of the "Muppets," began development on the film with ABC before the network's Disney parent bought Henson's "Muppets" and "Bear in the Big Blue House" properties in February.

Ashanti will next be seen in Paramount's "Coach Carter," starring Samuel L. Jackson. Queen Latifah, who received an Oscar nomination for her supporting role in the musical "Chicago," was most recently seen in "Barbershop 2: Back in Business." Her upcoming movies include "Taxi," "Beauty Shop" and "The Cookout."

Tarantino's acting credits include a guest arc on ABC's "Alias," as well as the 1995 feature "Destiny Turns on the Radio."