Multiple ‘Wizard of Oz’ Remakes in the Works

Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are anything but blue. Scottish Terriers and goofy scarecrows don’t come to mind when Todd McFarlane thinks about the Wizard of Oz. A couple years ago, the Spawn creator and maker of the creepy toy line, the Twisted Land of Oz, mentioned to MTV page editor, Rick Marshall, that a darker Oz was in the works.

Rumors about who will star in the remake have been circulating since 2009. According to IMDB, Dakota Fanning may be linked to the flick, but Worst Previews claims that the information is false. IMDb quoted McFarlane as saying, “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.” Think Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland.

McFarlane’s Oz isn’t the only reinvention of the 1939 film. The Witches of Oz 3D is currently in production. This one’s set in the present and features an adult author, Dorthy, who moves from Kansas to New York City. As she begins to promote her books, she discovers that she wrote based on her memories of visiting the land of Oz as a child. Transmorphers’ Leigh Scott is both director and co-producer with Chris Campbell.

Disney isn’t about to be left off of the yellow brick road. It has its own take called Oz, the Great and Powerful and, according to Vulture, wants Sam Raimi to direct it. Shrek 4’s Darren Lemke is writing yet another Oz project simply titled Oz. It should be interesting to see which remake takes the cake.

What Do You Think? Discuss.