Robert Downey Jr. as THE GREAT POWERFUL of Oz, Sam Mendes to direct?

By Matt Holmes / June 25, 2011

As soon as Tim Burton unleashed the magically inane'Alice in Wonderland' revisionist sequel upon us last month, a movie that we should remind ourselves made a worrying $828 million worldwide, I quickly became convinced that Disney would give Frank Baum's classic 'Wizard of Oz' story the same treatment. I've spoke about it a few times - and low and behold - a report in The L.A. Times this week says Disney is fast-tracking a 3-D 'Oz' prequel from 'Wonderland' producer Joe Roth, to film early next year. Encouragingly, Robert Downey Jr is in talks to play The Wizard, who in this prequel (despite being a character that only exists in Dorothy's imagination) is the lead character. It's title is 'The Great Powerful' or 'Oz The Great and Powerful' depending on who you believe and it comes from writer Mitchell Kapner ('The Whole Nine Yards')...

The wizard, who in the Baum books was a charlatan in Kansas before arriving in Oz, is a more dark and complex character in the Roth/Kapner version than the desperate and doddering wizard of the MGM musical (played by Frank Morgan) would suggest. As conceived in Kapner's script, the wizard is a charlatan who's part of a traveling circus but goes on a similar odyssey as Dorothy when he mysteriously lands in Oz.

Disney are hot on Kapner's script, and are desperate to re-create the magic of the Burton/Depp vehicle from this year. A meeting between Roth and Disney President Sean Bailey on Tuesday attempted to figure out who was the best candidate, with two names now seemingly at the top of the list. Sam Mendes('American Beauty', 'Road to Perdition', 'Revolutionary Road') - whose works are usually stark psychological deconstructions of broken men & women. Though, apparentaly he is academically studied in children's fantasy tales, so perhaps he is interested in becoming a Disneyfied yes man. In any event, Mendes is set to fly out to the U.S. next week to meet with Disney over the project after the movie he was expecting to make this year, 'Bond 23', was indefinitely delayed. Adam Shankman ('The Pacifier', 'Hairspray', 'Bedtime Stories')- who to date has made whimsical & cheery fare aimed at a broad audience. Presumably, Disney are mulling over which direction they could take the picture in. Do they go for the art-house route (Mendes) which has no chance in hell of making as much money as 'Alice in Wonderland', or do they go for the winning formula of the family-friendly spectacle (Shankman) once again. Quite frankly, I am amazed they haven't given Tim Burton himself a call to direct, with Johnny Depp starring.