DVDizzy Forum

Polizzi wrote:Renamed what? Just curious.

Read Disneykid's post above your previous one.

A bit more info is popping up. The L.A. Times is reporting that the choice of director is down between Sam Mendes and Adam Shankman. I can see either of these being good fits for the story depending on what approach they're taking. If they're making this light, whimsical, and Disneyish, Shankman's probably better for the job. If they're making it a little darker like the article is suggesting, then Mendes would be better. I just hope they don't veer too far in either direction. A happy medium is the best option, and if so, I'd say go with Mendes. I have a feeling Shankman may play it too safe, and a project like this needs to push the envelope, something I admit Burton's Alice fell a bit short of.

Disneykid wrote:A bit more info is popping up. The L.A. Times is reporting that the choice of director is down between Sam Mendes and Adam Shankman. I can see either of these being good fits for the story depending on what approach they're taking. If they're making this light, whimsical, and Disneyish, Shankman's probably better for the job. If they're making it a little darker like the article is suggesting, then Mendes would be better. I just hope they don't veer too far in either direction. A happy medium is the best option, and if so, I'd say go with Mendes. I have a feeling Shankman may play it too safe, and a project like this needs to push the envelope, something I admit Burton's Alice fell a bit short of.

Wow, those choices could not be more different. I hope they go with Mendes, I really want a good movie.

Disneykid wrote:It looks like the film has been renamed "Oz: The Great and Powerful," and there's a possibility Sam Mendes will direct and Robert Downey Jr. will star:

http://twitter.com/prodweek/

I was interested before, but now that interest has increased. I never imagined Downey in the role (I always had in mind someone like John C. Reilly), but I have no doubt that he'd be brilliant in this. It's obvious Disney's trying to replicate their success with Alice (hiring an esteemed director, casting a big name actor in the lead). I really hope this goes well for them, assuming they don't lose the race to the first live-action Oz film of the decade (see my earlier post about other Oz projects floating around). I wonder if the team-up of Mendes and Downey will cause other big name celebrities to want to join the cast similarly to what happened with Burton's Alice.

THAT NAME I LIKE! "OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL!" BETTER THAN, "BRICK," IS WHAT I SAY!

I like the new name MUCH better also! Can't wait for this one...I have high hopes.

I'm surprised by the load of remakes in the works. I always thought that studios were too cowardly to remake an adaptation that's become a bona fide hit like the 1939 Wizard of Oz.

toonaspie wrote:I'm surprised by the load of remakes in the works. I always thought that studios were too cowardly to remake an adaptation that's become a bona fide hit like the 1939 Wizard of Oz.

It's not a remake at all. It's more of a re-imagining, ala Wicked.

EDIT: Ooops! I think I misread your post. I thought you were talking about Oz: The Great and Powerful specifically, but I guess I was wrong. Anyway, none of the Oz movies are supposed to be legitimate remakes. Just new adaptations of the Baum story.

I just changed the title of the thread to reflect the title change.

Hooray new title!

But is it animated? Or even live action in the loosest sense of the word like Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland?

I'm positive it'll be live-action (or at least like Burton's Alice, live actors with CG backgrounds). Two reasons for this:

1) All of Hollywood is scrambling to come out with an Oz film to match the success of Alice. If Disney made theirs animated, the process would take too long, and some other studio will beat them to the punch (not counting Boorman's inpdependent CG film coming next year). Plus, they're obviously going to pattern this film and its marketing exactly like they did with Alice, which would mean plastering Downey's face all over the ads like they did with Depp.

2) For theatrical releases, Disney's only juggling with three different animation divisions: feature animation, Pixar, and Robert Zemeckis' motion capture technology (previously Image Movers). Projects for those for the next couple of years have already been announced, so if Oz fell under one of them, we would've heard about it, already.

Plus, I can't picture Mendes or Shankman directing an animated film, though there's a first time for everything.

Disneykid wrote:Plus, I can't picture Mendes or Shankman directing an animated film, though there's a first time for everything.

I would love to see Mendes direct this film. Especially if Bond 23's indefinate hiatus causes him to leave that project for this one.

albert

So its down between Mendes or Shankman.

The director of American Beauty, Road to Perdition and Revolutionary Road or the director of Bringing Down the House, Cheaper By the Dozen 2, Bedtime Stories,

... and Zac Efron's Pool Party

Decisions, decisions... They're both so good, a pool party... or American Beauty. I'm stuck.

Hey, but Adam Shankman gave us Hairspray and...okay, that's pretty much it in the quality department. Still, he's capable of being decent. Maybe he just needs to stop accepting crappy scripts? I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for Mendes, though.

Rumour: Guillermo del Toro to meet with Disney for THE GREAT AND POWERFUL OZ?
http://www.obsessedwithfilm.com/movie-n ... ful-oz.php
(via disneyreport.com)

So is the title Oz: The Great and Powerful or The Great and Powerful Oz?

Adam Shankman all the way baby!

Oh, man, Guillerno del Toro would be freaking amazing with this. If Disney's trying to separate this as far as possible from MGM's musical, del Toro is their surest bet. He won't be too afraid to make it stylized and fantastical.

As for the two titles being thrown around, I prefer Oz: The Great and Powerful. It sounds more interesting than The Great and Powerful Oz, even though he's known by both titles in the book.

So now apparently Sam Raimi's been approached to direct:

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/20 ... of_oz.html

While Guillermo Del Toro's still my top choice, I wouldn't mind seeing Raimi take a stab at it. Something tells me we'll finally get some concrete info on this project by the end of the summer.

Sam Raimi Confirmed to Direct OZ, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL with Robert Downey Jr. to Star
http://www.collider.com/2010/06/15/sam- ... ul-disney/
Last week, we reported that Disney had offered Sam Raimi the director’s chair for Oz, The Great and Powerful. Today, Deadline reports that he’s taken it. Furthermore, they report that Robert Downey Jr. has signed on to star as the wayward circus wrangler who would become the Wizard of Oz. Disney is hoping that they can land another billion-dollar-hit as they did this year with Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Oh, and Oz is going to be 3D.

It looks like production will kick off June 2011 for a 2013 release. That's a long time for post production, so I can only assume this is going to feature extensive green screen sets ala Alice.

Still no word on Downey's involvement, though.

I'm more excited for "Dorthy of Oz" (not based on that book, I don't think...) because it's an animated musical (not sure if it's 2D or 3D) and Lea Michele and Megan Hilty are providing 2 of the voices!