First Poster for ‘Oz: The Great and Powerful’

Diehard “Wizard of Oz” fans vacillate between excitement and outrage at the thought of this 2013 film

By DannyMiller Jul 4, 2012 3:07PM

Well, it’s really happening. As a lifelong lover of MGM’s beloved “The Wizard of Oz,” I’m not sure how I feel about Disney’s upcoming “Oz: The Great and Powerful,” directed by Sam Raimi (the original Spider-Man trilogy) and starring James Franco as the elusive wizard.

To be fair, this is not a remake per se, more like a prequel since the action takes place before Dorothy’s house made mincemeat of the Wicked Witch of the East. But while Raimi’s film is not based on the Judy Garland classic, elements of the new teaser poster (even the lettering of the word “Oz”) are reminiscent of that classic film.

In addition to James Franco (who was third choice after Robert Downey, Jr. and Johnny Depp), the film will feature three witches, presumably the group played by Margaret Hamilton, Billie Burke, and the corpse under the Kansas farmhouse in the 1939 film. Here the magical sorceresses will be portrayed by the exciting trio of Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz, and Mila Kunis. The screenplay for the film was written by Mitchell Kapner and Pulitzer Prize-winning playright David Lindsay-Abaire (“Rabbit Hole”). Producer Joe Roth is hoping to repeat the success he had with Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland.”

“Oz: The Great and Powerful” opens in theaters on March 8, 2013.

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Jul 5, 2012 8:26AM

Don't get me wrong. Mila Kunis is a very beautiful and likable actress. However I'm surprised she was cast in this movie where they will have a lot to prove; considering her acting chops are not up to par with the others named in this film. Just my opinion...

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Joyful Nurse

Jul 5, 2012 2:46AM

I can't wait for this movie to come out. I will treat myself to it on my daughter's birthday in March. The Wizard of Oz has been my favorite film since I was a little girl. Back then it only came on once a year. I totally related to this film as a little girl. Being from Omaha, NE and having my grandparents' farm in Northwestern Kansas {St. Peter, KS} we experienced many tornados. One of which flew right over my grandparents house and went a mile down the road to both my Godfather's and Uncles' farms. Omaha, NE was hit with a tornado in 1975 if I recall correctly. It is an experience I will never forget. I just in fact finishing reading "The Origin of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Omnibus" by Michele Rubatino. It is a researched book about the life of L. Frank Baum and his use of the King James Bible {circa 1611}, in developing his wonderful stories about the land and characters of OZ. I hightly recommend it for any die hard OZ fan. It will be great to see how Disney develops this new movie. My daughter loved the Alice in Wonderland story. It was her favorite. I gave her many Alice in Wonderland themed Mad Hatter Tea Parties for her birthdays when she was little. She would have loved the creativity of Disney's Alice in Wonderland and I know just like I she would have loved Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. My daughter had a really quirky and comical side to her nature. Tragically she died in Playa Del Rey, CA in April of 2008 and never got to see it. She would have loved it. She was both a model and actress and studied under James Franco at Playhouse West. Even though I absolutely love John Depp's work and the characters he has played, it will be fun to see James Franco play the Wizard.