James Franco to Play the Wizard of Oz in New Disney Film

[k5jm]

Another classic being remade? Hmmm....

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/157172...sney-film-co-written-by-david-lindsay-abaire/

James Franco to Play the Wizard of Oz in New Disney Film Co-Written by David Lindsay-Abaire
By Broadway.com Staff July 27, 2011 - 10:07AM

Oscar nominee James Franco will play the young wizard in Oz The Great and Powerful, a feature film from Walt Disney Pictures that began production on July 25, directed by Sam Raimi (Spider-Man). This prequel to the Oz story features a script co-written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole, Good People) and Mitchell Kapner (The Whole Nine Yards).

The all-star cast of the film includes All New People playwright Zach Braff as Franco’s assistant, Mila Kunis as the witch Theodora, Rachel Weisz as Kunis’ sister Evanora and Michelle Williams as Glinda the Good Witch. Oz The Great and Powerful is filming at the brand-new Raleigh Studios in Pontiac, Michigan, and will be released by Disney on March 8, 2013.

Oz The Great and Powerful imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot of fame and fortune, until he meets three witches (played by Kunis, Weisz and Williams) who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late.

In addition to playing the wizard’s circus assistant, Braff will lend his vocal talents to one of the CGI creatures in the story, Finley, the winged monkey who accompanies the magician on his journey to Oz. Twelve-year-old actress Joey King will voice another CGI character in the story, China Girl, who also joins the future wizard on his excursion through Oz.

Raimi’s creative team includes Oscar-winning makeup artist Howard Berger (The Chronicles of Narnia), who will create the looks of creatures such as the Whimsies, the Tinkers and the Winkies, as well as the ghastly look of the Wicked Witch of the West.

 

[KathyTX]

Uh-oh... nobody tell TLinden16!!!!

 

[TLinden16]

Uh-oh... nobody tell TLinden16!!!!

Pssst. Kathy, it's James Marsden I adore. Not James Franco.

 

[ninecrayons]

Another classic being remade? Hmmm....

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/157172...sney-film-co-written-by-david-lindsay-abaire/

Well it's not so much another classic being remade - this is more like a prequel. Frankly I think you'd have to be a crazy person to remake the Wizard of Oz.

Reading the description of this I had two seperate reactions. The first was "ZACH BRAFF!" Have adored him since Scrubs first came on the air.

My second reaction was: "Never have I ever seen a well-made prequel." I feel like prequels sometimes end up over-thinking or over-rationalizing the story. They also, for me at least, tend to have issues with different values and different visions getting transposed onto the character which can lead to a disjointed feeling. What worked for a character in twenty years ago may not work for a character today.

That said... the Wizard of Oz franchise has been interpreted several times and successfully, imho. Gregory MacGuire's "Wicked" series did a great job of telling the pre-story of The Wicked Witch of the West and the musical is pretty great too. The mini-series "Tin Man" was also pretty good. There is at least evidence that you can retell this story well.

I think the question is what demographic they'll be looking to hit. I somehow doubt it will be a kids movie.

EDIT: I just did a little googling and answered me own question, at least about plot.

The Wizard — a snake-oil salesman posing as a magician — enters Oz via a hot-air balloon, which he uses to escape an angry husband who has found out that Oz slept with his wife. There, Oz — a fast-talking huckster who wears a velveteen frock coat…falls in love with Glinda (the Good Witch), and the two combine forces to Fight the Evil Witches Evanora and Theodora. Theodora starts out as a good witch, but after Oz jilts her sexual advances, Evanora — the truly evil witch — convinces Theodora to become an evil witch with her and help her to rule all of Oz.

Ohhh dear.

 

[Aburns8]

Wish I was living back at home. I might run into one of the stars. Oh well, maybe one of my family members will.