Thanks to the amazing success of Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland sequel/remake, female heroines from the past are being resurrected, from Cinderella (Disney recently paid seven figures for a pitch for a “live-action reimagining” of the animated classic) to Dorothy.
Surrender Dorothy, a script penned by Zach Helm (Stranger Than Fiction) and announced in 2002, is back at the forefront with Miss Barrymore attached to direct the film, which she was once set to star in. [Pajiba]
This is the third Oz-based project to be announced in the last year, recalling the tone of the recent news of a second 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea adaptation.
Here’s (via Pajiba) the synopsis of the Helm script:
the great, great granddaughter of Dorothy who has to learn how to use the power of those ruby red slippers to keep the Wicked Witch of the West from taking control of the kingdoms of Earth and Oz.
It’s hard to know how to feel about news like this. It’s separate from the 20,000 Leagues news in that it doesn’t feel as inspired but rather, extremely monetary. Not that all film news like this isn’t based in dividends, it’s just that this particular bit isn’t being sold as well thanks to the recent success of Tim Burton’s wildly-regarded-as-mediocre Alice film.
Add to that Barrymore as director, who’s more of a name in that chair than a talent, at least so far. Furthermore, consider that it sounds a lot like Steven Spielberg’s criminally-flawed Hook, and it just ends up feeling hollow.
Are you excited for this Oz adaptation? What do you think of Barrymore as an actress/director?