A remake of The Wizard of Oz is in the works at New Line Cinema, according to Deadline. Watchmen director Nicole Kassell, who helmed three episodes of the critically acclaimed HBO series, is on board to guide the project — called The Wonderful Wizard of Oz — down the yellow brick road.
Between the children’s novel by L. Frank Baum first published in 1900, the 1939 Judy Garland classic, and various sequels, comics, shows and plays that followed, any new take on The Wizard of Oz has a lot to live up to. Rebooting it is both obvious — since so many people have seen it — and risky, for the same reason.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The question now is how a visionary director like Kassell will depict this story. Will she try to keep as close to the original as she can or provide her own twist on it?
Kassell explains her intentions in a statement:
"While the 1939 musical is part of my DNA, I am exhilarated and humbled by the responsibility of re-imagining such a legendary tale. The opportunity to examine the original themes — the quest for courage, love, wisdom and home — feels more timely and urgent than ever. These are profoundly iconic shoes to fill, and I am eager to dance alongside these heroes of my childhood as we pave a newly minted yellow brick road."
Fun fact: Because the original novel is in public domain (so you can use its content however you wish without needing permission), anyone can essentially create their own version of the story. The only thing folks can’t do is take any elements from the 1939 film, which changed some things; for instance, while we all know about Dorothy’s ruby slippers, they were silver in the novel. But since New Line Cinema is owned by Warner Bros. and The Wizard of Oz is a Warner Bros. movies, Kassell has access to everything.
For those wondering, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is not connected to any other Oz movies. This includes the upcoming animated musical from the perspective of Dorothy’s dog Toto, which is loosely based on the book Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story of The Wizard of Oz by Michael Morpurgo and Emma Chichester Clark. We don’t have any updates on that as of now, but it has been confirmed that it is not connected to Kassell’s movie. And Universal is finally getting going on a Wicked movie.
Check back for more updates in the future! Until then…we’re off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz!
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h/t SYFY Wire