According to Production Weekly, Sam Mendes is a front runner to direct Mitchell Kapner’s “Oz The Great And Powerful” after having recently dropped out of the comic book adaptation of “Preacher” and not having the chance to direct the next James Bond saga.
“Oz The Great And Powerful” is a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz” and is set up over at Warner Bros. New Line Cinema banner. The film will come from a script written by Darren Lemke (Shrek Forever After).
Not much else is known about the plot, but another juicy tidbit is that Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man 2) is rumored to be interested and may even end up with the starring role as the great Wizard!
The prequel is seemingly more like a family orientated film than something darker or sinister especially with Sam Mendes edging out Tim Burton for the director’s role. I for one am excited with this news. Burton’s great and all, but several of his last films have been rather uninspiring. Especially when he’s adapting someone else’s vision and not his own.