Remember those "Twisted World of Oz" figures McFarlane Toys released a few years back? Ready to see a bound and blindfolded Dorothy being victimized by a nasty pair of munchkins on the big screen? Well, screenwriter Josh Olson isn't, but he's going to help turn the toyline into a film anyway.
I didn't answer in the affirmative to either of those previous questions either, so Olson has my blessing to do whatever he wants to McFarlane's kinky reimagining of L. Frank Baum's beloved characters. According to Variety, Olson (the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter of A History of Violence) and McFarlane have a mild difference of opinion with regards to the tone of the film: McFarlane prefers a hard PG-13, while Olson would rather go "Harry Potter dark, not Seven dark". Actually, it sounds like Olson would just like to make a film honoring the original vision of L. Frank Baum, which would certainly be the most profitable option for all involved (McFarlane and Basil Iwanyk are producing, while Rick Benattar will EP). McFarlane also cites Lord of the Rings (as in "we want to make as much money as") and talks about Ripley-izing Dorothy, which means Liza Minelli has to be their first choice.
Oz, as it's currently titled (I do have a feeling they'll be changing that), is set up at Warner Brothers.
Source: CHUD.com
08-22-2007, 07:43 PM
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