According to Production Weekly’s Twitter feed THE WIZARD OF OZ prequel, entitled OZ THE GREAT AND THE POWERFUL, may have secured it’s director and star. Following the sad BOND 23 news it seems director Sam Mendes (ROAD TO PERDITION, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD) has found his next project and Robert Downey Jr. (IRON MAN, SHERLOCK HOLMES) is interested in playing the lead role.
OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL is being brought to us by Disney, produced by Joe Roth (ALICE IN WONDERLAND, HELLBOY) and the screenplay has been written by Mitchell Kapner (THE WHOLE NINE YARDS, ROMERO MUST DIE). The origin tale will be told from the wizard’s perspective and details how, as a young man, he arrived in Oz as part of a travelling circus, and how he became to be the coward behind the curtain of the original film.
Nothing about this project sounds particularly interesting, or indeed necessary, but it’s too early to discount it entirely. The thought of Mendes and Downey teaming up, however, does spark a bit of excitement as both are talented big-names in the business. There’s no word on a release date just yet but does anyone want to take a bet on how long it takes before it’s confirmed to be in 3D?