Back in 2014, NBC announced that they would be developing a new take on L. Frank Baum’s ‘Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ novels titled ‘Emerald City’. But after parting ways with showrunner Josh Friedman, David Schulner stepped up into the role in 2015 and brought along the incredibly unique and extremely stylistic filmmaker Tarsem Singh to direct all ten episodes. Over the course of 2015 and 2016, aside from teases and stills from the show featuring ‘True Detective’ and ‘Person of Interest’ star Adria Arjona as Dorothy Gale, Vincent D’Onofrio of ‘Daredevil’ and ‘Jurassic World’ as The Wizard, and English model and actor Oliver Jackson-Cohen as the Scarecrow, the biggest news that came out about the upcoming series was that fan favorite comic book writer Kelly Sue DeConnick was part of the writer’s room for the show. But now, we finally have our first real look at this wild reimagining of the iconic story of that girl from Kansas that followed the Yellow Brick Road.
Some time around Thanksgiving, NBC’s new fantasy drama recently shared their trailer via Twitter. But for everyone that missed it because they were cooking, eating, or planning their Black Friday strategy, we have it right here for you. Check it out below, followed by the official synopsis of the series, then we’ll get into our thoughts about it:
Are you a good witch, or a bad witch? #EmeraldCity pic.twitter.com/i63ign97xC
— Emerald City (@NBCEmeraldCity) November 23, 2016
In the blink of a tornado’s eye, 20-year-old Dorothy Gale and a K9 police dog are swept into a world far removed from our own – a mystical land of competing realms, lethal warriors, dark magic and a bloody battle for supremacy. Starring Vincent D’Onofrio as the guileful Wizard and directed by the visionary Tarsem Singh across three European countries, this is Oz completely reimagined – a place where familiar characters show up in fresh, unexpected ways, and where an unsuspecting young woman holds the fate of kingdoms in her hands. And as Dorothy navigates this dangerous world and uncovers her true destiny, we’ll see there’s no place like… Oz.
Well, if you watched the classic 1939 movie musical starring Judy Garland and thought that the story could use more or a ‘Game of Thrones’ or ‘Lord of the Rings’ vibe, then ‘Emerald City’ certainly looks like the show for you. I mean, the “Munchkins” even look like Wildlings from beyond the wall. Similarities to those fan-favorite worlds aside, Singh seems to be the perfect person to bring this version of Oz to life because his wildly imaginative visuals certainly fit in here. It just remains to be seen whether it will have been worth all the trouble that the Peacock went through to get it on the air. We’ll find out shortly after the New Year, but until then, let us know what you think about the show in the comments.
‘Emerald City’ starring Adria Arjona, Vincent D’Onofrio, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Ana Ularu, Gerran Howell, Joely Richardson, Jordan Loughran, Mido Hamada, and Florence Kasumba goes over the rainbow on January 6, 2017 at 9:00pm on NBC.
Despite being a “professional writer”, Ben likes run-on sentences far too much. For more of his attempts at being funny and the occasional insightful thought, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.