Some Clarity on The WIZARD OF OZ Project Being Developed At Warners...

Merrick here...
Pajiba has some insight regarding shenanigans surrounding the oft-mentioned WIZARD OF OZ project currently being developed at Warners. You may recall that, in the past, there's been confusion as to whether the OZ concept being mulled was Olson's take on L. Frank Baum's source material - or an adaptation of McFarlane's TWISTED LAND OF OZ reinvention/franchise. This article answers such questions. In short: sounds like Todd's TWISTED LAND OF OZ pitch was edged out by a more family-friendly interpretation from Olson.

It’s a modern-day sequel. The story centers on Dorothy Neil, a bright and ambitious young lawyer for a prestigious law firm in Chicago. Neil is the grand-daughter of Dorothy Gale, who is now an old woman living in Kansas and telling her tales about her time in the land of Oz to a new generation of kids. However, trouble is afoot in Oz, as a new witch is destroying the magic that keeps the entire place running. While babysitting her boss’ kid, the kid and Dorothy Neil are brought back to Oz and united with the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow and tasked with killing an evil witch and restoring order in Oz. The existing Josh Olson script, however, is still not up to snuff, so the project is currently out for a rewrite — ironically, Warner Brothers is now looking for a slightly darker version of what Olson provided, which itself seems to be a much lighter version of what McFarlane originally pitched.

...says Pajiba HERE. There are some interesting details in the articler, including how McFarlane's OZ intended deploy a colorless-vs-color conceit similar to the 1939 original. Check out the article for some insight. If you haven't gotten a chance to take a look at it yet, the recently issued WIZARD OF OZ Blu-Ray is pretty damn amazing looking. You can find it HERE, then ask yourself why they're bothering with this new project to begin with. An answer which most of us already know...
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