Wizard of Oz gets the remake treatment

[tazber]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 2:28pm

All CGI and no songs.

I'm sorry to ruin besty's birthday with this news, but I felt it my duty to inform.
Oz take 2

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 2:31pm

Why?!


This is another sign of the end...

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 2:31pm

Well, the musical classic will live on long after all of us have croaked one way or another, so...I'm weirdly not outraged by this.

I thought John Boorman was dead. Hm.

Updated On: 11/6/08 at 02:31 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 2:32pm

For some reason I can't open the link.

It's just as well.

[tazber]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 3:12pm

The link was from Variety besty:

John Boorman is attached to direct the $25 million, CG-animated pic "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."

The adaptation of L. Frank Baum's original novel will be Boorman's first toon pic.

Produced by Laurent Rodon and Claude Gorvsky at France's Films Actions and John Boorman's longtime associate Kieran Corrigan, and currently in pre-production, "Oz" is written by Boorman, Ron Mita and Jim McClain ("Robots"). It's skedded for a summer 2010 delivery.

The English-language adaptation maintains the tale's main characters and settings. Unlike the MGM classic, however, it's not a musical.

"Oz" comes as the $35 million Gallic 3-D French toon "A Monster in Paris" has suspended production, reportedly out of financing concerns.

"Oz" consolidates SND's push into animated feature financing. At AFM it is also selling $10 million CG feature "The Magic Roundabout: The Beginning," targeting kids ages 3-8.

[Craig]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 3:14pm

If Willy Wonka could be totally bastardized...

[Roscoe]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 3:16pm

$25 million? Sounds pretty cheap by CGI standards.

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 3:21pm

Oz the 3D video game. That's what it sounds like to me.

Most "faithful" Oz adaptations come off dull as dirt. They suck the whimsy right out of the story and feel like an endless journey through a bucket of mud.

Maybe I'm wrong! I hope so.

I'm always glad to see interest in "all things Oz." And at some point, maybe they'll get a creative team together who can capture the spirit of this classic story and other Oz stories. That would be nice.

[landryjames2]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 3:37pm

Of course, I will be very excited to see how this turns out. However, Besty is completely right--these "faithful" adaptations rarely turn out well. Or faithful for that matter.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 4:02pm

At least it isn't being made by Robert Zemeckis using that hideous motion-capture technology that made BEOWULF almost unwatchable.

[Mamie]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 4:04pm

It doesn't sound like a remake at all. Just another cartoon version.

[BDrischBDemented]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 5:05pm

I for one am not totally opposed to the idea of remaking "The Wizard of Oz". So long as you're not basing it off the script for the original movie and maybe staying truer to L Frank Baum's original story, I'd actually be interested in that.

This still sounds pretty lame, though.

[Shannon Bo Dannon]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 5:38pm

I love the book and the original film, but I'm not sure how I feel about this. I guess we'll just wait and see what happens.

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 5:54pm

Forget Wicked, Hannah Montana, and those ugly plaid scarves, CG Animation is responsible for the demise of culture.

At least it's a film of the book and not a 'remake' of the original film. Oh, and how's about that Alice in Wonderland directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp? *Staggers off to find a quiet shady spot to vomit up my innards in peace*

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 6:07pm

I too am fearful of reading anything further.

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 6:41pm

I think it's some sort of competition between Broadway and Hollywood to see which will end the world faster.
On the one hand: Hotel for Dogs, Transporter 3, Saw V, Friday the 13th remake, My Bloody Valentine 3D, High School Musical 3, Alice In Wonderland Burton-Depp'd, Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Burton-Depp'd, etc.
On the other: Betty Boop, Shrek, Spiderman, TO2C, Legally Blonde, Waxworks, Little Mermaid, High School Musical...
oh the list goes on.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 6:47pm

Why do people always freak out over this? Other than being based on the same book this obviously has nothing to do with the 1939 musical. Even then that was not the first film version. No one cried blasphemy back then.

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 7:36pm

Wait a minute, Mormonophobic-- is HSM seriously planning to go to Broadway?

That's the scariest thing I've heard since Vanessa Hudgens trying to sing. (And I actually LIKE HSM.)

[landryjames2]

Posted: 11/13/08 at 4:55pm

As I am a little wary of a remake/re-imagining/other version of The Wizard of Oz for which I consider MGM's one the greatest screen triumphs of all time (seriously is there no other Oz book to adapt? There are 14 by the original author, and dozens upon dozens more from other authors. Emerald City of Oz, Glinda of Oz, and Patchwork all have fine enough storylines to work into an exciting film)--here are some images from the upcoming movie which Boorman has apparently been working on for 2 years (that was a long sentence):

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39070
Updated On: 11/13/08 at 04:55 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/13/08 at 5:03pm

All of you should quit being mean. Dakota Fanning really needs this to resurrect her career. Forget that Judy whats-her-name, Dakota is Dorothy.