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Denzel Washington Interview THE BOOK OF ELIDakota Fanning Set To Drop A House on the Sequel To THE WIZARD OF OZ
by Nicole Pedersen Posted:August 23rd, 2009 at 10:05 am
Just in time for the seventieth anniversary of MGM’s “The Wizard of Oz” comes news that a sequel is in the works… or rather, another sequel. Producers have been trying for years to modernize the classic film, including a rumored 2002 version that would have starred Drew Barrymore. So who’s on tap to try on those ruby slippers this time? Young Dakota Fanning, who else? Hit the jump for details.
According to assorted press reports, the teenaged Fanning is attached to star in a sequel to “The Wizard of Oz” that is being produced by Basil Iwanyk and Todd McFarlane. Fanning would play Dorothy’s granddaughter in the Warner Brothers film, which will be set in the present day.
McFarlane, best known for creating the Spawn comic and for buying a really overpriced baseball, described the new film’s take on the work of Frank L. Baum thus:
“You’ve still got Dorothy trapped in an odd place, but she’s much closer to the Ripley character from ‘Alien’ than a helpless singing girl.”
The planned remake began its evolution as a film adaptation of McFarlane’s “Twisted Oz” toy line. Writer Josh Olson was tasked with scripting the story which slowly evolved from “Twisted” to straight-up sequel.
Earlier this month Olson told PRLog that Warner Brothers, who holds the rights to the original 1939 version of “Oz”, was aiming for a PG-13 rating and a release in 2013.
And just to reiterate my point about this being just one in a LONG line of planned reboots and sequels to “The Wizard of Oz” - other projects currently in the works include “Dorothy of Oz”, “John Boorman’s Wizard of Oz” and a “Dark Oz” adaptation. There’s no place like home, right? the place we’ve all been a million times before…
Not interested in anything having to do with “The Wizard of Oz”, unless its a musical. And to be quite honest, I don’t particularly care for anything until “Wicked” gets made into a motion picture.
I don’t care about Wizard of Oz either, however, I’ve always wondered why they didn’t take a real crack at the other books in the series. I wouldn’t watch them, but I suspect kids would enjoy them - they are dark and strange and the design, based on the illustrations, is distinctive.
I will say that Fanning and her sister Elle are weirdly gifted - there is something kind of creepy about how mature they seem on screen.
I happened to love Wizard of Oz. It`s one of my mum`s favorite movies besides Sound of Music and Lost Horizon. However, why Dakota Fanning? Why not go for someone fresh and new to give the movie some spark?
I just saw District 9 and I think Sharlto Copley did an amazing job in the main role of Wikus. Just goes to show what you can do just by going out on the streets and pulling in someone who has no acting experience whatsoever and giving them a chance. My sister said it better then I did. “Some people really shine. Hollywood is just too frightened of brushing the dirt of normal day life off of them to see how great they can be.”
Ihope you get raped by gangs jjj
noooooooooooooooooooooooooo god damn u Dakota Fanning… i hope she gets paralyzed so she cant do any more movies
I personally am more excited for John Boorman’s movie coming out next year. I think The Wonderful Wizard of Oz will do much better in a cgi format. also, supposedly it is heavily based on the book so it should be much more accurate to the novel than the 1939 MGM musical crap. Don’t get me wrong, i loved the movie as a kid, but its in no way close to the book, the stuff with the witch is a small portion of the novel and visually they got her all wrong anyways. she’s supposed to be a pegged-legged midget with an eye-patch and an umbrella. one of many mistakes. I really hate how people are so biased just because the film was praised for its effects. I understand its a part of many people’s childhood, but for me, so was the book and i find it’s story much more stimulating. as long as this Dakota sequel isn’t a musical, and is based off the sequel novels, (much like the unheard of Return to Oz film) then i think Dakota Fanning is fine, Dorothy is actually a blode in the later books.
Todd Mcfarlane = crappy stories. Sounds like this will be and “update” (where update means “mature”) Oz does NOT need to be grim and gritty, it needs to be magical. It sounds like the “twisted oz” toys probably took the characters and made them into mean, nasty toys.
If Dakota Fanning goes through with this, it will be a major misstep in her career (and also, a terrible movie.)
@jjj thats a pretty crappy to wish upon someone. Karma’s a bitch!
When I think sequel to Wizard of Oz, I think Return to Oz, the creepy post-apocalyptic take on Oz as Dorothy returns while spending time at a psych ward. Her new friends definitely made quite an impression during my childhood growing up in the 80’s. Tic Toc, Jack Pumpkinhead, the Flying Couch and even her talking hen! Not to mention the “Wheelers” who worked for the headless witch… who in turn was working for the gnomes! Wow flashback…
Fuck this movie in so many ways… Why Dakota Fanning of all people too?! Hollywood needs to start coming up with origonal shit and quit sucking off the TITS of classics!!!
How disappointing!
I thought the article was going to tell us that Dakota Fanning was coming to Australia.
Have any of these people even seen the Sci-Fi Channel mini-series “Tin Man” which was based on the “The Wizard of Oz” ?
If they have to do it can they at least have a good actress? I think I’d kill myself if Dakota Fanning became dorothy/granddaughter of dorothy.
Anyway, they;ve already made two sequels, return to oz and journey back to oz and theyve recently made the mini-series tinman which was awesome - argh! so not happy right now