We’re off to see the wizard – again. The Wizard of Oz premiered back in 1939 and will be getting a remake. In contrast to the original, which starred Judy Garland as Dorothy, this latest Warner Bros. production will have a modern twist. Those are the plans of writer and director Kenya Barris.
Barris is coming from eight seasons of black-ish, the ABC sitcom that debuted in 2014 and has since won an Emmy and earned a Golden Globe nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy. This won’t be his first time captaining a remake, as he also wrote a 2019 screenplay for Shaft. Learn what is confirmed so far about the Wizard of Oz remake here.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road to a new ‘Wizard of Oz’ remake
Actually, it’s worth noting The Wizard of Oz is getting a remake twice over. Watchmen executive producer Nicole Kassell is working on one for New Line as a “fresh take.” Barris is creating a remake for Warner Bros. that has been called “a modern reimagining.” Further specific details have yet to be confirmed, but it has been pointed out that since the original Wizard of Oz was set in what had been the modern 1930s, following that same pattern would put these latest entries in the 2020s. Barris’ Khalabo Ink Society will be producing his remake.
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Adapting The Wizard of Oz was made possible thanks to the novel that started it all by L. Frank Baum called The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Since its publication in 1900, Baum’s creation has inspired – to name a few – three silent films, a Broadway production, international translations, spin-offs, reimaginings, and comics.
A busy time in Oz for a remake
Somewhere over the rainbow, leaders of both projects were, are, and will be hard at work on their respective Wizard of Oz remake and other titles. Barris also has plans on exploring the comedy of Richard Pryor. Oz will follow his current work in progress, You People, which stars Eddie Murphy, Jonah Hill, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Duchovny, Nia Long, and Lauren London. He was also involved in Coming 2 America, also starring Murphy. Meanwhile, black-ish just finished its eighth season this April.
As for Emmy and DGA award-winner Kassell, she has a lifelong love of The Wizard of Oz. “I am incredibly honored to join Temple Hill and New Line in bringing this beloved classic to the screen,” she said. While the 1939 musical is part of my DNA, I am exhilarated and humbled by the responsibility of re-imagining such a legendary tale. The opportunity to examine the original themes — the quest for courage, love, wisdom and home — feels more timely and urgent than ever. These are profoundly iconic shoes to fill, and I am eager to dance alongside these heroes of my childhood as we pave a newly minted yellow brick road!”
Will you be watching any new Wizard of Oz movies?
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