andPOP » sam raimi

What’s James Franco’s ‘Oz’ All About?

@coltondaniel — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:30:07 +0000

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Lions and tigers and spoilers. Oh my!

We announced that the Wizard of Oz prequel was in the works about a year ago. Oz The Great and Powerful is a Sam Raimi (Spiderman) directed story of how the wizard ruled the kingdom. But this week, some details about the film finally surfaced thanks to blabbering youngsters Abigail Spencer and Joey King.

“We’re doing the same thing as the first Wizard of Oz, we’re making it black and white in the beginning and then (it gets) colorful when we enter the Land of Oz,” she said in an interview with TeenSpot. “It’s also going to be a 3D movie; I’m so excited about that. It’s going to add a whole new level to the awesomeness of Oz.”

“It’s before the Scarecrow and the Tin Man and Dorothy and all that,” says Spencer who plays the Wizard’s assistant May in an interview with E! ”It really goes deeper into how that story came to be.

Rather than James Franco, Michelle Williams or Mila Kunis belting out ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ like the Judy Garland-starring original it is based more upon the books, according to Spencer.

“This is the real story and I think this is actually what the writer [L. Frank Baum] intended when he wrote them.”

Oz is set for release on March 8 of next year.

James Franco and Mila Kunis for ‘Wizard of Oz’ Prequel

@coltondaniel — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:11:06 +0000

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Sam Raimi has just signed Mila Kunis to star opposite James Franco in his upcoming prequel to the 1939 classic ‘Wizard of Oz’, which has the working title: “Oz, the Great and Powerful”.

Kunis is reportedly playing the role of ‘Theodorah’ ,who goes on to become the Wicked Witch of the West and cackle until she melts. According to nymag.com, The Black Swan actress walked away from the Warner Bros.’ remake of Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1988 manga epic Akira to join Franco on this project.

Raimi and Franco, who have previously worked together on the Spiderman franchise, both agreed that Kunis would be perfect for the role. The 27 Hours star is set to be Oz, the great and powerful Wizard… a role that was previously connected to Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr.

The script is re imagined by playwright turned screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire of Rabbit Hole and Inkheart who has set to tell the story of the origins of the Wizard and the infamous witches: Glinda the Good Witch of the North, Evanorah the Wicked Witch of the East (the one under the house with the ruby slippers) and Theodorah the Wicked Witch of the West.

Perhaps Kunis can sway her Black Swan lip-locking buddy, Natalie Portman, to play the Good Witch… just a thought.

Shooting and pumping of box-office mojo is set to begin this summer in the magical land of Walt Disney Studios.

Spider-Man ‘Reboot’ Villain Announced

Lauren Treihaft — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 14:10:29 +0000

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Marc Webb, director of (500) Days of Summer, is currently in production on the “Reboot” of the Spider-Man series. The film stars Emma Stone (Superbad) as Gwen Stacy and Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) as Peter Parker. Since the beginning of the project rumors have been circling on who the villain might be. Could it be Venom? The Rhino? The Scorpian? TheWrap.com reports that the new villain will be The Lizard formerly played by Dylan Baker in the Sam Raimi Spider-man films.

Welsh Actor, Rhys Ifans (Hannibal Rising) will play The Lizard, also known as Dr. Curtis Connors. Connors was a scientist who lost his arm in the war and became obsessed with reptilian limb regeneration. After the war he began tests on animals to regenerate limbs and decided to test the formula on himself. In result he accidentally gave himself superhuman powers due to exposing himself to mutagenic chemicals.

It will be interesting to see another directors take on Spider-man. It seems that Webb may try to follow the comics more so than his predecessor, Raimi. The film will be in theaters in 3-D on July 3, 2012.

Ellen Page Drops out of ‘Hell’

andPOP Staff — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:23:10 +0000

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Ellen Page will no longer be going to hell – and that’s a bad thing.

Due to scheduling conflicts, Page has dropped out of Sam Raimi’s upcoming film “Drag Me To Hell.” She was set to star as a woman under a curse, reports the CBC.

Raimi was so determined to have Page star that the filming schedule was set for her. However, the film wasn’t ready to shoot and has had to be pushed back. Page will be working on Drew Barrymore’s “Whip It!” at that time, and will also have to go through intense physical training to play a competitive roller derby skater.

Fresh off her success with “Juno,” Page also has a film called “Peacock,” co-starring Cillian Murphy, in the works.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, “White Oleander” star Alison Lohman will take Page’s place in “Hell.”