I found some more info about this, from the blog, The Playlist
With Warner Bros. moving ahead with their big budget "Wizard Of Oz" prequel, "Oz The Great And Powerful" with Sam Raimi in the director's chair and starring Robert Downey Jr., it looks like they will be beaten to the punch by indie auteurs Michael and Mark Polish.
A mysterious teaser titled "Oz" has hit YouTube with the description "Polish Brothers' OZ, based on the beloved children's classic by L. Frank Baum. Hitting screens everywhere in 2011." The project doesn't exist on IMDB and appears to be something the directors of "Twin Falls Idaho," "Northfork" and "The Astronaut Farmer" have been working on in secret. The brief teaser appears to indicate this film will be a prequel of sorts as well, with a very young Dorothy walking with the Cowardly Lion down a hallway. And that's about it.
If there is a prequel, it wouldn't involve Dorothy. There are novels by Baum about Oz before Dorothy and after. But Wizard of Oz is her first appearance. If they make another movie about Dorothy it would be a sequel not a prequel.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting if they did a movie based more on the novel than the movie based on the novel which left out a great deal! It would also be nice to redefine the iconic images from the movie which are largely mis-representative of the characters and story in the novel. (Dorothy is six years old and blonde, not sixteen and brunette. The Tin man was previously a munchkin so he would be small like Dorothy not a regular sized human. We'd meet the other good witch in Munchkin land rather than Glenda, like Miss One in the Wiz!)
I think the Wizard of Oz could stand a Tim Burton-esque, Alice in Wonderland-ish relaunch that's more true to the novels. That would be cool and nice!
I totally agree with Mighty Kwan! This is why I loved Return To Oz (starring Fairuza Balk). It more closely mirrored the actual OZ as opposed to the fairytale world concocted by MGM. People don't understand that Dorothy--in the movie--was never in the serious danger she was in the books.
ReplyDeleteGranted, I still love the original. But I thought Return To Oz was a much better film. People were so married to the original that they couldn't see the forest for the trees.
Let's hope that 25 years later peeps can have a more opinion mind to a more realistic rendering of Oz.
I can't wait.
Interesting!! I keep hearing about all the Oz movies being made. Looks like one is actually happening.
ReplyDelete