Of course, by Oz, we mean as in “The Wizard Of…” rather than HBO’s acclaimed prison drama. A few weeks ago, news broke that Sam Mendes was vying with “Hairspray” director Adam Shankman to direct “Oz The Great and Powerful” (apparently now simply called “The Great Powerful”) a new Disney prequel to the classic “The Wizard of Oz,” focusing on a member of a travelling circus who finds himself in the fantasy land, eventually becoming the wizard seen in the 1939 original. Robert Downey Jr. was said to be in negotiations to star, and the film, apparently a priority for Disney after the massive of success of “Alice in Wonderland” (which has just broken in to the top 20 grossers of all time), is likely to shoot in 3D.
No decision’s yet been made, but Shankman is campaigning hard for the job — not only is he talking it up on his Twitter page, but he’s also stepped away from another Disney project that he was set to direct. “Bob: The Musical” was a high-concept comedy about a man who starts hearing “the inner song of people’s hearts” after an accident, but, according to the LA Times, that project’s no longer a priority under the new Disney management, and Shankman is trying to show his commitment to “The Great Powerful.”
We’re pretty much totally unfamiliar with Shankman’s work, mostly due to the fact that watching his films seems like it might be similar to being waterboarded in glitter, but he seems keen to move on, telling the Times “I want to do something more adult than kids and animals, something with a more sophisticated sense of humor.” While we find it hard to believe that he’ll be able to top the sophisticated, Voltaire-esque wit of “The Pacifier,” we wish him the best (and to be fair, his “Prop 8: The Musical” for Funny or Die, embedded below, was sort of funny). But even so, we’d rather Mendes got the gig.