Sam Raimi Is Offered ‘Oz The Great And Powerful’

Disney has jumped with gusto into their search for a director to their big budget 3D prequel tentpole extravaganza happening, “Oz The Great And Powerful.” According to Vulture, an offer is on the table for Sam Raimi to direct Robert Downey Jr. in the “Wizard of Oz” reimagining, with hopes of getting in front of cameras this year.

With this movie, Disney is making an aggressive play, knowing Raimi, still a hot property, is currently unattached, and still one of the five or so most bankable filmmakers currently working. Other recent contenders include Adam Shankman (who bowed out of “Bob The Musical” with no guarantees of getting the “Oz” gig), Sam Mendes (who bolted from the project suspiciously quickly after being mentioned as a front-runner), Timur Bekmambetov (random name off Disney’s Rolodex, probably last ditch option) and Guillermo Del Toro (who probably took a non-serious meeting).

Shooting this year throws into question the availability of Robert Downey Jr., but more on that in a second. As for Raimi, his schedule became a whole lot freer when he was unceremoniously dumped from the “Spider-Man” gig. He was originally set to segue from Spidey into Warner Bros.’ “World of Warcraft” but with no “Spider-Man” production, everyone’s been wondering what’s going on with the video game adaptation. Raimi’s coming off a multi-billion dollar franchise, so he’s pretty much Peter Jackson post-LOTR right now – with the pick of any project, a top dollar salary, and the status of a saint mixed with a martyr (as Jackson, at the time, was considered to be left out of “Lord of the Rings” profits by New Line Cinema).

Is the offer sweet enough for Raimi? Seems doubtful. The fact that they’ve talked to a wildly diverse group of filmmakers and that they want 2010 shooting dates finalized means they want to be calling the shots on this project, and they merely want someone who’s going to give them footage that looks both pretty and commercial. Raimi, who was under Marvel and Sony’s thumbs for almost a decade, knows that type of environment when he sees it.

Studios are tightening their belts more and more, and with the number of sure-thing properties dwindling, you can almost smell the desperation setting in with several high-level execs hoping a filmmaker can deliver a hit. A move like this by Disney is transparent acknowledgment that this is their golden goose. Judging by what we’ve heard about the script, the sea of filmmakers being approached would be wise to refuse, but in the end, a payday is a payday. And speaking of soulless paydays, Tim Burton is still available.

So yeah, that script… We got hold of a draft, dated April 2010, by Mitchell Kapner (of “Romeo Must Die,” no less) a little while back, which begins at the ‘Baum & Barley Bros.’ Circus in Kansas in the early 1900s. Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmanuel Ambroise Diggs, better known as Oz, is a showman and magician at the circus, who’s soon caught canoodling with the wife of a customer. When her husband catches them at it, a furious chase follows, ending with Oz fleeing in a hot air balloon. He gets caught in a terrible storm, collapses and wakes up in the magical land of Oz. He’s almost immediately greeted by Winkie Men (resembling the Winkie Guards from the original), Winged Monkeys and sweet witch Theodora, who tells him that he’s destined to defeat the Wicked Witch, etc. etc.

Considering its billion dollar success, it’s not surprising that “Oz The Great and Powerful” bears a strong resemblance to Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” — the same tacked-on quest plot, and the same sense of returning to a familiar world, without really adding anything. In fact, in its current form, this has the potential to be even worse than that; it also suffers from prequel syndrome; just like “Robin Hood,” it tells the least interesting part of a classic story, and it’s very hard to care about the outcome, especially when it’s never really in question.

It’s also full of glib, deeply irritating nods to the original. There isn’t even a good sense of the character of Oz, who’s also kind of annoying (quoting King Lear as the balloon disappears into the storm), and seems a better fit for Russell Brand than for mooted star Robert Downey Jr.

We imagine the script’s been severely revised by now; we can’t think why so much talent would be attracted to it otherwise, unless it’s the potential of the world of Oz that’s the draw. If Downey Jr. does sign on (and there’s been no news on this for a while), the film likely couldn’t go before the cameras until next spring at the very earliest, with the actor seemingly committed to “Gravity” this summer, “Sherlock Holmes 2” in the fall, and “The Avengers” early next year, so fortunately the creative team have plenty of time to get the script right. Or, if Vulture is correct, and Disney do intend to film this this year, they may have to go with someone else in the lead.