Hollywood Could Be “Off to See the Wizard” Again

Warner Brothers is in the process of possibly creating an update of the classic film The Wizard of Oz. This idea stems from the recent success of Alice in Wonderland, which depicts a similar story of the girl, Alice, finding herself in a magical world in which she has to figure out what it is that she really wants. The film enjoyed huge profits in its opening weekend, bringing in $210 million worldwide.

Warner Brothers has two films in the works, though they’re unsure if they would put both into production since they’re similar in topic. The first would be an adaption of the book by L. Frank Baum that sticks more closely to the plot of the story than the original film did. The second idea features Dorothy’s granddaughter returning to Oz to fight evil.

Both of these films sound interesting, and it may be true that the key to making something like this successful is to not try to recreate the original. To attempt to remake too closely a classic of its caliber may be too much.

If Warner Brothers makes the adaptation of the novel, they also hope for the opportunity to turn it into a series. Baum wrote several other stories about different characters’ adventures in Oz.

In addition to these two possible films, a film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked has been in development for some time. These new projects could disrupt its progress.