Pocketburgers.com: Wizard of Oz

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Tuesday, July 12, 2011

A wonderful guide to 11 Oz films you may be seeing in theaters soon

Fairy-tale fever seems to have struck Hollywood, with all signs pointing to the hallowed green halls of the Emerald City. Oz has suddenly become the premier destination for a battalion of producers, directors and studios stampeding to stake their claim for the next lucrative franchise from the lands of children's literature.
An avalanche of sequels, prequels and just plain freaky distortions of the original material looms just over the rainbow, including live action, CGI, stop-motion animation, classically adapted, steampunk renditions, dark takes and contemporary visitations. Nothing is sacred in the magical land of Oz anymore.

Warner Brothers just won a copyright infringement case on Oz-related merchandise that could give them the upper hand as these icons return to the screen. The ruling states that filmmakers who wish to create a new version of a literary work—even one in the public domain—must be careful not to use copyrightable elements of characters that first appeared in protected motion picture versions of the works, meaning screenwriters and directors will have to craft their characters carefully without trading on previous renderings. Easier said than done, Dorothy.

As with our feature on Frankenstein projects in the laboratory, many of these Oz projects will get lost, trip or stumble, never making it to the screen. Whatever the results, that swirling crystal ball is showing there may be a whole lotta Oz in your future. One thing is certain ... ruby slippers, flying monkeys, charlatan wizards and feuding wicked witches are steadily marching toward Tinseltown.

Here's Hollywood's current Oz lineup so you can click your heels and keep score at home ...

OZ, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

The most visible of all Oz projects in development. Disney swung hard and hired Spider-Man director Sam Raimi to command this prequel centering on the legendary wizard (James Franco), telling the story of a carnival barker who accidentally discovers the magical land of Oz and is mistaken for a sorcerer.

Robert Downey Jr. was attached to star, but commitments to Sherlock Holmes 2 and The Avengers delayed production and he exited. Rachel Weisz is negotiating to play Evanora, the wicked broom rider of the East opposite Black Swan's Mila Kunis as Theadora, the nasty one of the West. (Who knew they had names?) Michelle Williams plays sugary-sweet Glinda, and affable Zach Braff is the great Oz's faithful assistant.

Danny Elfman does the score! Shooting starts July with a planned March 2013 release.

DOROTHY OF OZ

Set to open in theaters in spring 2012, this lavish animated version comes from indie studio Summertime Entertainment and is directed by Disney animation veteran Dan St. Pierre. An awesome voice cast includes Glee's Lea Michele as Dorothy, Dan Aykroyd as the Scarecrow, Kelsey Grammer as the Tin Man and James Belushi as the Cowardly Lion.

The cartoon outing is based on an original story by Baum's grandson Roger S. Baum, as Dorothy returns to Oz to help her friends defeat an evil entity known as the Jester. Sappy Canadian pop star Bryan Adams has written songs for the project. Ouch, that cuts like a knife.

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ

John Boorman (Deliverance, Excalibur), whose 1974 sci-fi film Zardoz was inspired by Baum's book, enters the mix with a big-budget CGI-animated version of The Wizard of Oz with no catchy dance numbers, primed for a 2012 release. The British director states they're still deep in production and word is the story is dark.

This will be Boorman's first animated feature and the script was written by Ron Mita and Jim McClain (Robots). Baum's material is ripe for creative interpretation and Boorman, who deftly adapted Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur for his visionary King Arthur epic, may strike gold again.

OZ: RETURN TO THE EMERALD CITY

Here's the second of Warner's two Oz flicks in the works. In this modern-day sequel, Chicago lawyer Dorothy Neil, granddaughter of the original Dorothy, is whisked away to Oz with her boss's daughter where they team up with the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion to take down a tyrannical witch who threatens to destroy all the magic in Oz. (Why do they ALWAYS do that?)

This project originated back when comic artist Todd McFarlane offered Thunder Road Productions an Oz film based on his "Twisted Land Of Oz" toy line. Thunder Road passed but decided to develop an Oz update of their own. Screenwriter Josh Olson (A History Of Violence) pitched them a family-friendly fastball right down the plate and Warner was in love. Producer Basil Iwaynk (The Town, Clash of the Titans) could direct.

TWISTED LAND OF OZ

This is one we'd truly sign away our immortal souls to see. It's a project based on Spawn-daddy Todd McFarlane's disturbingly cool line of Oz action figures that debuted in 2003. The horrific playthings feature a sexy, S&M Dorothy, monstrous Tin Man, a savage Cowardly Lion and demonic Scarecrow along with an entire demented host of supporting characters. This one is definitely somewhere WAY, WAY over the rainbow.

According to McFarlane, the script is currently getting some second draft revisions but thinks his sick toybox might be a little too scary for Warner Brothers to embrace. Scary? Wait, we love scary!!

WICKED

Gird yourselves for Universal's musical adaptation of Gregory Maguire's best-selling novel. It's an origin story that tells how the Wicked Witch of the West became Oz enemy number one. Wicked opened on Broadway in 2003 and is still packin' 'em in every night. Kristin Chenoweth originated the glittering role of Glinda in the stage show and will surely reprise it in the big screen version with Wicked star Idina Menzel.

Wicked writer, Winnie Holzman has finished the screenplay but no casting choices have been finalized. JJ Abrams, James Mangold (Walk The Line) and Rob Marshall (Chicago) have been discussed as directors for the girl-power gala.

DARK OZ

The sinister Caliber Comics Oz series was first optioned way back in 2008, with Pearry Teo set to direct and Pras Michel of The Fugees lined up to star. Teo has visions of giving the film a decisive steampunk look, distinguishing the project from the scrambling mob of similar versions. Scriptwise, Dorothy returns to Oz to find that it is under the spell of three evil kings- the Scarecrow, the Lion and the Tin Man! This production is currently on hold pending financing and distribution issues.

SURRENDER DOROTHY

We first heard of this project in 2002, with Drew Barrymore attached to star from an Oz-inspired script written by Zach Helm (Stranger Than Fiction). Similar to Oz: Return To The Emerald City, Barrymore would play a descendant of the original Dorothy Gale, who has to stop the original and still-living Wicked Witch of the West from taking over the kingdoms of Oz and Earth, using the atomic power of her ruby slippers.

It was announced last year that Barrymore was thinking of directing the film as a follow-up to 2009's Whip It. Munchkins on rollerskates? Hmm, she may have something there.

LAND OF OZ

The other Wizard of Oz film being developed at Warner Brothers under their New Line banner. Shrek Forever After screenwriter Darren Lemke is adapting the original novel in the series as a faithful, non-musical version.

Brought to you by Temple Hill, the production company behind the Twilight saga, Oz skips back to where it all began and reportedly follows the book page for page. Rumors say this one's head may be on the emerald chopping block if Warner passes.

OZ WARS

This one has a high salivation factor. Oz Wars is a new stop-motion animated film set within the vast fantasy world first visited in The Wizard Of Oz. The project is fronted by The Corpse Bride co-director Mike Johnson and merrily joins the crowded competition.

Variety reports Vanguard Films will be producing the movie. Johnson was quoted as saying: "It's an animated action-adventure story, but unlike most animated films, it's not just for kids. The Land of Oz will be reimagined using stop-motion to create a world that's dark, slick, sexy and dangerous." Really? You had us at dark!

THE WITCHES OF OZ

This baby is in the can and awaiting a distribution deal. Originally set for television, it may get a 3-D release in theaters or be destined for the direct-to-video bin. It's another sequel to the first book and follows successful children's author Dorothy Gale as she discovers her stories about a magical land are actually repressed childhood memories. Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Christopher Lloyd and Lance Henriksen star opposite newcomer Paulie Rojas as Dorothy. Writer/ director Leigh Scott is known for his cheap, knockoff films like Transmorphers, but behind-the-scenes clips show there were a few bucks spent on the production.

Exhausted? That's an army of Oz assaulting us over the next few years. Which one do you think will move on down the yellow brick road?

Monday, January 24, 2011

Drew Barrymore to direct another Wizard of Oz film

Drew Barrymore has reportedly signed on to direct Surrender Dorothy, which joins at least five other Wizard of Oz films announced in recent weeks

Too old for the lead? ... Drew Barrymore. Photograph: Scott Legato/Getty Images Another day, another Wizard of Oz reimagining. Drew Barrymore looks set to become the latest member of the Hollywood glitterati to travel down the yellow brick road after signing on to direct Surrender Dorothy, pitched as a loose sequel to the 1939 musical. Barrymore, who recently made her debut as a feature film-maker with the well-received rollerderby movie Whip It, was originally tipped to star in the project when it was first proposed back in 2002. She would have played the great-great-granddaughter of Dorothy, a young woman who has to learn how to use the power of those famed ruby red slippers to keep the Wicked Witch of the West from taking control of the kingdoms of Earth and Oz. There's no word on whether Barrymore will still be taking the lead role, though at 35 she might be considered a little old for the part. The project has been resurrected due to the current proliferation of movies based on much-loved children's stories, following the enormous box-office success of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. At least five films based on the Wizard of Oz have been reported in recent weeks. Disney, which made Alice in Wonderland, is developing Oz the Great and Powerful, an origins tale revealing how L Frank Baum's wonderful wizard ended up at the Emerald City (and possibly featuring Sam Mendes directing Robert Downey Jr as the wizard). There are also two CGI versions, as well as another based on a comic-book series, and finally the bizarre-looking The Witches of Oz, featuring Lord of the Rings' Sean Astin, Christopher Lloyd (as the wizard) and Alien's Lance Henriksen. Though all 14 of Baum's Oz books are now out of copyright, and therefore freely available for anyone to plunder, it seems unlikely that all of the above will make it into cinemas: often in these cases, one or more of the films will fall at the wayside at the development stage. If not, there are going to be more wizards in multiplexes over the next few years than at a Harry Potter convention. The Wizard of Oz story has been adapted for the big screen on many occasions, with the most famous version being the 1939 musical starring Judy Garland. Disney itself brought Return to Oz, based on two of Baum's sequels, to cinemas in 1985.

Here are all the novels:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Oz_books

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Salma Hayek Gets ‘Wicked’ on TV!

Salma Hayek (Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

by Molly Willow

from http://www.fancast.com/

Forget home, there’s no place like Oz.

Salma Hayek and ABC are developing an eight-part miniseries adaptation based on the Oz-centric book “Wicked,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Gregory Maguire’s best seller retells the “Wizard of Oz” story from the sympathetic viewpoint of the Wicked Witch of the West, the green Elphaba. It has already been translated into the hugely successful Broadway musical, but Hayek’s version will not be set to song.

Hayek and her producing partner Jose Tamez guide the version under their Ventanarosa Prod. with ABC Studios.

Erik Jenderson, who won an Emmy for his work on HBO’s “Band of Brothers,” is writing the script.
There’s no official word yet on whether Hayek herself will appear in the production.

NBC Universal is also developing a version of “Wicked” that is based on the musical (so, apparently, there will be at least two places like home).

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Scoop This: 'Superman', 'The Hobbit', 'Wizard of Oz' Prequel

By: Erik Davis
From: http://www.fandango.com/

'Superman: Man of Steel' Story Revealed?

In the day or so since it was announced that Zack Snyder would be directing Superman: Man of Steel, new reports have surfaced claiming to know a little of the story surrounding this latest incarnation. Vulture reports that the original script featured Clark Kent as he traveled the world as a journalist, trying to figure out whether he still wants to be Superman. This would be in line with the modern spin Christopher Nolan (who's producing) has talked up in the past; one that would allow the film to possibly tie in current events from around the world and make the story more relatable.

In the same story, however, they claimed the script was a bit messy, and so hopefully that will be worked on now that Snyder is onboard; fine-tuned to the point where it sings to all the fanboys out there hoping and praying for Warner Bros. to give them a kickass Superman movie.

Peter Jackson Close to Directing 'The Hobbit'

People keep going back and forth on this, but according to The Wrap, Peter Jackson is close to finalizing his deal to direct The Hobbit, which in all likelihood will be shot in 3D. Production on the two films is supposed to begin in January at a price tag of upwards of $500 million. Guillermo Del Toro left the project after MGM's money woes delayed it for months, and now it would appear as if Jackson will need to direct this sucker himself if he ever wants to see it hit screens. Look for an official announcement soon. Meanwhile, LOtR fans should start getting excited.

Sam Raimi Will Direct 'Wizard of Oz' Prequel

It's been awhile since we heard anything regarding Oz: The Great and Powerful, but now, according to Deadline, the deal is done and Sam Raimi will officially make this his next project. The film will most likely star Robert Downey Jr. (he's still negotiating ) as the man who would eventually become the Wizard of Oz, following his story from the time he was a circus wrangler on earth to his crazy fantastical journey via a tornado to Oz. Disney will make this their next big film following the very lucrative 'Alice in Wonderland', so look for Oz to become Raimi's first 3D film as well. Do you think Sam Raimi is the right director for this project?

Monday, June 21, 2010

Sam Raimi will reboot the Wizard of Oz for Disney. Really.

From: http://scifiwire.com/

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Sam Raimi has signed to direct Oz, the Great and Powerful for Disney, according to Deadline. The 3-D prequel to the original Wizard of Oz (it's kind of hard to write that, actually) will start with the character in his pre-wizarding days, when he's just a circus performer who suddenly gets whisked away in a hot air balloon by a tornado to the land of Oz and ... well, you can figure out the rest, right?

Raimi apparently beat out candidates like Sam Mendes, Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) and even Guillermo del Toro for the job. Robert Downey Jr. has been heavily rumored to star in the film but has not confirmed his involvement yet. A source told Deadline, "They are going to develop [the movie] for him, if things go right. The script will be rewritten."

Which might not be the worst idea in the world, according to The Playlist, which got hold of a draft of the script and found it, shall we say, lacking. But with Downey facing a pretty busy year anyway, with Sherlock Holmes 2, Gravity and The Avengers all coming up, this might give Raimi a chance to give the screenplay a long, hard look and get it into better shape than it's apparently in now.

Oz is Raimi's first official project since leaving the Spider-Man franchise behind, and his involvement also throws the future of the World of Warcraft adaptation—which he was supposed to direct—into doubt. It also all but takes him out of the running to direct The Hobbit. Harry Potter director David Yates is still the front-runner for that.

The bigger question is, even if you think Raimi could do a good job, does the world want a prequel to The Wizard of Oz? Or is this Hollywood thinking at its most desperate?

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Meinhardt Raabe, the Wizard of Oz's Munchkin coroner, dies aged 94

By Daily Mail Reporter

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Original: Munchkin Meinhardt Raabe, pictured here last year, has died aged 94

Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Munchkin coroner in "The Wizard of Oz" and proclaimed in the movie that the Wicked Witch of the East was "really most sincerely dead," has died aged 94.

His carer, Cindy Bosnyak, said Raabe died on Friday morning at a hospital in Orange Park, Florida. He was one of the few surviving Munchkins from the 1939 film.

Bosnyak said Raabe complained of a sore throat at his retirement community before collapsing and going into cardiac arrest. He was taken to Orange Park Medical Center, where he later died, she said.

'He had a headful of hair at 94 and he ... remembered everything everyday,' she said. 'To me he was a walking history book, very alert.'

Raabe was one of the 124 Munchkins in the film classic and one of only nine who had speaking parts. He was 22 years old and a show business veteran, earning money for college as a "midget" performer, as they were called then, when the movie was shot in 1938.

Raabe portrayed the diminutive Munchkin official who solemnly pronounces the witch dead after Dorothy's farmhouse lands on her: 'As coroner I must aver, I thoroughly examined her, And she's not only merely dead, she's really most sincerely dead.'

His costume included a huge hat with a rolled brim, and dyed yak hair was used for his handlebar mustache and long beard.

In a 1988 interview, he said he had no idea the movie would become a classic, because at the time of its release, it was overshadowed by "Gone With the Wind."

'It was only after CBS got the film in 1956 and used it for their promotions that it became as well known,' he said.

'There is nothing in the picture that dates it,' he said. 'There are no old vintage cars or old vintage streetcars. ... It's a fantasy picture that will be fantasy for generations to come.'

'And she's not only merely dead, she's really most sincerely dead': Meinhardt Raabe, Munchkin coroner, in the film The Wizard of Oz

'Raabe was about 3½ feet (1.07 meters) tall when the movie was made. He eventually grew to about 4½ feet (1.37 meters). He toured the country for 30 years in the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile, promoting hot dogs as "Little Oscar, the World's Smallest Chef."

He also enjoyed going to Oz nostalgia events and getting fan mail.

'It's an ego trip,' he said. 'This is our reward, the nostalgia.'

In 2005, his book "Memories of a Munchkin: An Illustrated Walk Down the Yellow Brick Road," co-written by Daniel Kinske, was published. In later years, he lived in a retirement community in Penney Farms, Florida.

In 2007, Raabe was one of seven surviving Munchkins on hand when the Munchkins were honored in Los Angeles with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Raabe said he couldn't remember what he was paid for his role in the movie, but that it was very low.

'By today's standards, people would say you were crazy to work for that,' he said.

Raabe, born in Watertown, Wisconsin, in 1915, was a member of the Midget City cast at the Chicago World's Fair in 1934. He also performed at other fairs, including the San Diego Exposition in 1935.

'By working at these world's fairs as a midget, I was able to work my way through the university,' Raabe said. He earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin and, years later, a master's degree in business administration from Drexel University.

Meinhardt Raabe, far right, joins other Munchkins from 'The Wizard of Oz' pose as they receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007. Munchkins, from left: Clarence Swensen, a Munchkin soldier, Jerry Maren, part of the Lollipop Guild; Mickey Carroll, the Town Crier; Karl Slover, the Main Trumpeter; Ruth Duccini, a Munchkin villager; Margaret Pelligrini, the "sleepyhead" Munchkin and Meinhardt Raabe, the coroner.

Raabe married Marie Hartline, who worked for a vaudeville show called Rose's Royal Midget Troupe, in 1946. She died in a car crash in 1997.

Raabe said some little people resented the word "midget," but that was the description widely used when he was in show business.

'My wife and I were both in show business, were both midgets. My wife worked from 1929 to 1932 as a member of Rose's Royal Midgets, the largest midget troupe in vaudeville,' he said.

Raabe became a regular visitor to the annual OzFest in Chittenango, New York, the birthplace of "Oz" author L. Frank Baum, after reading about it in a magazine in the late 1980s.

'Meinhardt wrote us a letter and said, 'You know I'm a Munchkin. I was in this movie. Would you ever be interested in having me come.' Of course, after we stopped screaming ...,' organiser Barbara Evans said in 1998.

'Things didn't start to get really big until Meinhardt first came and we started getting the Munchkins to come,' said Evans.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Wizard of Oz set for 3-D remake

The Wizard of Oz is to be remade for the 21st century, with 3-D special effects and a very modern Dorothy.

By Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor

From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Judy Garland, as Dorothy: Wizard of Oz set for 3-D remake

Judy Garland, as Dorothy Photo: AP

Inspired by the box office success of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, executives at Warner Bros are pressing ahead with an update of the childhood classic.

The studio is weighing up two rival projects which take Frank Baum's original story as their starting point, and will be very different from the 1939 film starring Judy Garland.

The first is Oz, produced by the team behind the Twilight franchise and aimed at the teen market.

The second, as-yet-untitled film has a darker tone and moves the action closer to the present day, with Dorothy's granddaughter returning to Oz to fight the forces of evil. The script has been written by Josh Olson, whose previous credits include David Cronenberg's A History of Violence.

Both projects have been in development for some time, but the surprise success of Alice in Wonderland has spurred Warner Bros into action, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Tim Burton's re-imagining of the Lewis Carroll tale has met with mixed review from critics but took an astonishing £210 million worldwide on its opening weekend, eclipsing Avatar.

The studio is keen to capitalise on the current vogue for 3-D movies, and believes a new Wizard of Oz film could spawn a franchise.

It has been remade before - The Wiz, released in 1978, featured an all-black cast including Diana Ross as Dorothy and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow.

Other remakes of Hollywood classics in the offing include a new version of My Fair Lady, with Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan frontrunners to take Audrey Hepburn's role of Eliza Doolittle, and Hugh Grant tipped to play Professor Henry Higgins.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Return to Oz: The Surviving Munchkins 70 Years Later

Thursday, July 30, 2009

25 Various Styles of The Wizard of Oz Illustrations

The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical-fantasy film mainly directed by Victor Fleming and based on the 1900 children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. In the film, Dorothy, a schoolgirl living in Kansas, is struck unconsicious during a tornado. She dreams about how she and her dog Toto, with the help of a Scarecrow, a Tin man and a Cowardly Lion, find their way home from the magical world of Oz.

Many people like these four characters very much: sweet Dorothy, smart Scarecrow, brave Tin man and sensetive Lion. Many artists like them as well, and they have created various artworks featuring the four to show their fondness. We have selected 25 of the best illustrations, which might remind you of that magical world and that famous song “Over the Rainbow”.