Oz Adaptations: They're Everywhere!

I have a really cool post coming up for later today—seriously, it's awesome! I have an exclusive interview! So you know you're going to want to read it, of course.

We'll continue with the Postmodern Princess and talk a whole bunch more about Disney princesses later, but for now, I've found some interesting news online about future Oz projects in the works. Apparently there are a number of new Oz movies coming out, and Cleolinda posted today about several new developments. There's a new movie coming up called Oz: The Great and Powerful that tells the story from the Wizard's point of view, and Robert Downey Jr. has been signed to play the Wizard. I like the sound of that, and it could be really interesting! Sam Raimi will be directing this one, which is an intriguing possibility and could be good thing or a bad thing. We'll see! This is another Disney film and will be in 3D.

There isn't a lot of information out about this next one, simply called Oz, but it looks as if it might be very faithful to the original. Dorothy is quite young and the Cowardly Lion is, apparently, an actual lion. The teaser is very short and doesn't consist of much, but it does look appealing!

Lea Michele of Glee fame will be voicing Dorothy in a 3D animated musical called Dorothy of Oz, using material from the Oz book of the same name, which is not one of the original Baum novels. I haven't read it, but it was written by Roger Stanton Baum, great-grandson of L. Frank Baum. There are many, many Oz books written by authors other than L. Frank Baum, and this may be one of the ones I have to check out, given that they're making a movie based on it. I'm not sure how faithful it is to the original spirit of Oz. We'll see. Oh, and apparently the music is being written by Bryan Adams. According to LA Times blogger Steven Zeitchik:

Because it's something that is cherished both deeply and widely, "The Wizard of Oz" is not only a cultural phenomenon but a psychological one. "Oz" is everyone's story, a piece of our individual cultural memories that the rest of the world happens to share. That doesn't mean the entire world wants to see countless new spins on "Oz." But it does mean that those with moviemaking clout have reason to make a new version of the film, and also explains why they're able to persuade others to go along. As Dorothy discovered a century ago, the Emerald City is difficult to resist, even if it can be disappointing to visit.

These aren't the only Oz adaptations being worked on, and it sounds like there are at least six titles currently being talked about. I think the whole thing is fascinating, and while I'm sure I'll like some of the films better than others, it's really exciting to see a resurgence in Oz popularity. You can bet I will be seeing these movies and reviewing them when they come out!

Be sure to come back later for my exclusive interview and more on the Disney Princesses!