Sam Raimi (Spiderman- the Tobey Maguire version) is making a prequel to the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz. The movie will be about how the actual Wizard of Oz became the actual Wizard of Oz. Set to come out March 8th, 2013, this seems to be a cliché move Hollywood is making- and perhaps even ruining a great classic.
The movie stars most of the characters from the original movie (and the movie follows most of the plot from the book); featuring James Franco as Oz, Mila Kunis as the Wicked Witch of the West (which is actually Theodora in the movie since it is a prequel), and Glinda the Good Witch is played by Michelle Williams. Also, some new characters are added (well, this is a prequel after all), like Evanora, who is the Wicked Witch of the East (remember, she was already dead in the 1939 version, so we can deduce what will happen) who is played by Rachel Weisz, and Zach Braff plays Frank and Finley- someone we don’t know, but he is voicing the character.
With Disney making the movie, be sure to expect some G-PG ratings, with a few childish themes. According to the official Disney website, the synopsis for the story is, “Oz the Great and Powerful takes us back to a time pre-Dorothy, before the yellow brick road and before the munchkins. Back to the time when the great and powerful wizard of Oz first arrived in the fantastic land of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (played by James Franco), a small-time circus magician with few ethics, is whisked away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot with fame and fortune being his for the taking. But unfortunately for Oscar, his luck is about to run out – He unwittingly runs into three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz), and Glinda (Michelle 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. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity, and even a bit of wizardry, Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.”
And in an interview, Rachel Weisz stated that working on Oz, “… was the most flat-out fun I have ever had making a film. It’s all in the Emerald City. James Franco is the Wizard and I am the Wicked Witch of the East, Mila Kunis is the Wicked Witch of the West and Michelle Williams is Glinda the Good Witch, very saintly and put-upon and beautiful. I got to shoot lightning out of my fingertips, fly around in a black sequined dress and wear lots of red lipstick.”
In a separate interview, Sam Raimi stated that the Tin Man and Scarecrow will not be involved with the movie- again, it is a prequel. But he has stated that, “The Wicked Witch has an army of flying baboons. And we saw a glimpse of them. It’s the first animation that’s completed on it. There’s also a flying monkey story, different than the baboons. A nice flying monkey, so don’t worry.” (This is why you should see the trailer to see the monkeys). And about his younger brother and Bruce Campbell (which are two things expected with every Raimi movie- think Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese), he has said, “Yes, my younger brother Ted plays a tiny part, otherwise my mother would have my head. And Bruce Campbell, unfortunately, is in the movie. He plays a bit part, because he was busy working. I think he was shooting his TV show, so he took a day off and came down and just did a tiny little, few-line role for us. But it’s a tiny little cameo. It’s really funny to watch in the picture. He did a great job.” And lastly, about the movie itself, he explains that, “It’s the story of a selfish man, who’s a little bit of a lothario, a little bit of a cad. Oz is a land of second chances for the Wizard, who’s also redeemed by the love of Glinda, the Good Witch. It’s how he became ensconced in the Emerald City. By the time this picture ends, the audience has one interpretation of how it all came to be, how he became the protector of that great city.”
Don’t forget! You can watch the [close to Alice in Wonderland] trailer below and even go to the official page for some behind the scene stuff. And don’t forget to view the pictures below as well!
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