Sam Raimi hired to direct the OZ prequel

Interesting news! According to Deadline, Sam Raimi was hired to direct Oz: The Great And Powerful.

And Robert Downey could be in it?

Let me confirm that Sam Raimi is set to direct Disney's extravagant 'Wizard of Oz' 3D prequel. I understand that talks to hire Raimi for Oz: The Great And Powerful turned into a deal last night finalized by CAA. It's a coup for new studio bosses Rich Ross and Sean Bailey, who are rolling the dice big-time by hoping that this pic will be a global hit like the billion-dollar-grossing Alice In Wonderland. "Robert Downey Jr. isn't set yet.

They are going to develop for him, if things go right. The script will be rewritten," one of my sources says. "The movie will happen, though." Downey would play the Wizard Of Oz before he became the Wizard Of Oz circa the 1939 iconic film: he's in fact a circus wrangler transported by tornado to the mysterious world of Oz where he gets mistaken for a know-it-all. This will be Raimi's first firm project since he exited Spider-Man 4, which prompted Sony Pictures to reboot the entire franchise earlier this year. Now the only question is whether Sam Raimi can do what Tim Burton just did.

This is could be a good movie. More to come.

What Spider Man 4 would have Been

Well, Spider Man 4 is dead and Sam Raimi is moving on. But the plot was kinda hidden... Until now.

Here is the plot of Spidey 4:

Peter Parker gets over MJ, finds a new girl, falls in love. But: Peter also discovers her father is actually the Vulture, a naughty green guy with wings to be played by John Malkovich. Peter is torn between the love of his new lady and taking down the Vulture.

Being a Spandex tight-ass, he decides to take down the Vulture, and kills him. This patricide goes down poorly with Peter’s new fiancée, and she rejects him. Despondent, Peter decides to abandon his superpowers, and Movie No. 4 ends with Peter Parker throwing away his Spider-Man mask, and audiences wondering if they are watching Superman II.

Okay... I don't know about that one. What do y'all think?

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Spidey 4 is Delayed

Some news on the new Spider-Man movie

Sony Pictures decided to delay the superhero sequel, starring Tobey Maguire (pictured) and directed by Sam Raimi, according to Variety. "We'll try, but I think making May is a real question," an unnamed source at Sony said. "We will not start until we have it right. The feeling is we are not going to rush it to make the date."

The decision means fourth film in the series likely will not meet its announced May 6, 2011 release date.

In October, Raimi indicated that the franchise would be taking a more mature direction. "I've been talking with Tobey about where his character might grow to in this installment," Raimi said. "[Parker] started as a little bit of a selfish, naive and insecure high school kid ... In the second picture, [he] wrestled with his personal fulfillment versus that responsibility and, in the third film, I think it was a little bit about his growing hubris."

Maybe this is for the best, I'm still washing Spider-Man 3 out of my mouth. So, I agree with Sam on this. Keep it tight, until you get it right.

Just One Villain for Spider-Man 4

Sam Raimi heard it from fans about the mess Spider-Man 3 made on the screen. So this time, he will try to do it right.

"I think having so many villains detracted from the experience. I would agree with the criticism."

So it sounds like there will be fewer foes in the next installment. Raimi said he had learned some new lessons and storytelling tricks from his recent horror flick Drag Me to Hell which was a smaller and more intimate production.

He said: "I think I've learned about the importance of getting to the point and the importance of having limitations, and I'm hoping to take that into a production where I'm actually allowed to explore with more of the tools to pull it off with a little more splendour.

"I hope I don't lose that edge that I've just found. That would be my approach to Spider-Man 4: to get back to the basics."

I hope so, Sam. SM 3 was a hot mess, I think the fourth flick should erase that tragedy and give us a good comic book movie.

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Warcraft the Movie?

Really?

Check out this press release

BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT® AND LEGENDARY PICTURES SIGN SAM RAIMI TO DIRECT UPCOMING WARCRAFT® MOVIE Raimi, acclaimed director of the blockbuster Spider-Man series, will bring the forces of the Horde and the Alliance to life in epic live-action film. Charles Roven's Atlas Entertainment will produce alongside Raimi's Stars Road Entertainment.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – July 22, 2009 -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. and Legendary Pictures announced today that Sam Raimi has signed on to direct the eagerly-anticipated major motion picture based on Blizzard Entertainment’s award-winning Warcraft® universe. Raimi has, in the course of his career, clearly demonstrated a genius for developing and adapting existing fictional universes for mainstream audiences while staying true to the spirit of the original content.

Raimi directed the Spider-Man trilogy, which has broken box-office records around the world and garnered five Academy Award® nominations. Known for his imaginative filmmaking style, richly drawn characters and offbeat humor, Raimi wrote and directed the cult classic, The Evil Dead and produced 30 Days Of Night.

He most recently wrote and directed the supernatural thriller, Drag Me To Hell. "At its core, Warcraft is a fantastic, action-packed story," said Raimi. "I am thrilled to work with such a dynamite production team to bring this project to the big screen." Charles Roven’s producing talents were recently seen with last summer’s blockbuster The Dark Knight, which grossed in excess of $1 billion, was nominated for eight Academy Awards® and won two. His body of work also includes the widely acclaimed Batman Begins and the sci-fi classic 12 Monkeys.

Roven, with Atlas producing partner Alex Gartner, will be producing with Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull, Legendary’s Chief Creative Officer Jon Jashni, Raimi and Raimi’s producing partner Joshua Donen.

Raimi’s partner, Robert Tapert, will be an Executive Producer and Blizzard Entertainment’s Senior Vice President of Creative Development, Chris Metzen, a Co-Producer. "Partnering with Sam Raimi exemplifies Legendary's mandate of marrying the highest quality intellectual property to world-class filmmakers" said Legendary’s Tull. "Sam's passion for 'Warcraft' is undeniable and we know that he will create an incredible film worthy of Blizzard's phenomenal franchise. We look forward to collaborating with our partners at Warner Bros. and continuing our successful relationship with Chuck in bringing this rich new world to the screen."

I've seen folks play this game, but is it movie material?

Drag Me To Hell poster

Drag Me To Hell trailer

Possibly, a good Horror movie, Drag Me To Hell is coming out in May.

And here's the trailer


I hope this is good, Sam Raimi.