Timur Bekmambetov, director of arguably the silliest blockbuster of the last decade or so, Wanted, is apparently being wined and dined by Disney into directing The Great and Powerful Oz. In case you weren’t aware, this is a origin story/reboot of The Wizard of Oz; it would explain how he came to rule Oz blah blah blah it’ll be shot in 3D and probably be completely unnecessary. But hey, Disney needs to fill the void that the Prince of Persia franchise now won’t be.
This project previously had attracted the interest of directors Sam Mendes and Adam Shankman as well as potential star Robert Downey Jr. Mendes is in need of a good, solid commercial hit after his lackluster last couple of films and it’s likely that Adam Shankman (Hairspray) would want to turn it into a musical. As for RDJ? I kind of want him to stay away from the loud, chaotic special effects films and do a few more films like he did back in the 90’s and mid-naughts.
Timur Bekmambetov doing an Wizard of Oz origin story; what’s your take?