Sam Raimi & The Wizard of Oz
With any Spider-Man future pretty much dead and buried for Sam Raimi, the director now has the luxury of focusing his duties elsewhere, with his next project to be a prequel of one of the most heralded films of all time; The Wizard of Oz. Raimi will be at the helm for Oz: The Great and Powerful from Disney with the strong likelihood of Robert Downey Jr. as the leading man.
The story is set around a man (Downey’s character if and when he signs on) who unwillingly departs his days as a circus performer via, you guessed it, a tornado that carries him from normality to the land of Oz. The character sets the stage for the 1939 classic as the main character (again, potentially Downey) ultimately becomes the Wizard of Oz. Personally, I couldn’t think of a better fit for the role. What Depp was for the over-the-top Mad Hatter, Downey can be for the eccentric and reclusive Wizard.
Rumor has it that Oz: The Great and Powerful will be shot in 3D since Disney was overjoyed with the box office returns on Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland in 3D. Raimi is a 3D virgin in the director’s chair so this will be his first go-around with the technology as commander on the set. Right now, the film is tentatively set for a 2013 release with no exact date in mind.
I would be willing to see this.
I guess Raimi’s schedule is kind of free now without Spider-Man 4 🙁
While I’ll see anything Sam Raimi does, unless it’s another baseball film with Kevin Costner, I’m certainly more excited about this than the World of Warcraft movie.
I will watch anything Sam Raimi does as well as Robert Downey Jr. who can’t give a bad performance. I’m not excited about this concept but with the two of them in the mix, I’m sure it will turn out good. Plus, there’s a good chance of a role for Bruce Campbell so that’s an extra bonus!