Thanks to Pajiba, we now have new information regarding Sam Raimi’s newest endeavor, “Oz the Great and Powerful.” Principal photography for The Wizard of Oz prequel/re-imagining will tell the tale of how The Great Wizard (Robert Downey Jr.) found his way to the Oz.:
The Wizard — a snake-oil salesman posing as a magician — enters Oz via a hot-air balloon, which he uses to escape an angry husband who has found out that Oz slept with his wife. There, Oz — a fast-talking huckster who wears a velveteen frock coat (yes, I can see that) — falls in love with Glinda (the Good Witch), and the two combine forces to fight the evil witches Evanora and Theodora. Theodora starts out as a good witch, but after Oz jilts her sexual advances, Evanora — the truly evil witch — convinces Theodora to become an evil witch with her and help her to rule all of Oz.
“Oz The Great and Powerful” is just one of several “Wizard of Oz” re-imaginings that’s currently in the works. Both Warner Bros. and Universal are working on adapting their own retelling. Honestly, in this industry of monkey see, monkey do it, wouldn’t surprise me if we get three retellings/prequels of “The Wizard of Oz” in the same damn year.