‘The Wizard of Oz’ is a classic film enjoyed by generations and it’s 75th anniversary is just around the corner. That could explain all the projects based on L. Frank Baum’s wonderful world. Earlier this year, we had the prequel ‘Oz The Great And Powerful’ starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, and Michelle Williams from director Sam Raimi, but since then we’ve gotten word of a number of television projects set in the land of Oz. NBC has the incredibly dark ‘Game of Thrones’-esque reimagining titled ‘Emerald City’. CBS is working on the medical soap ‘Dorothy’. Syfy and ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’ director Timur Bekmambetov are teaming up for the miniseries ‘Warriors of Oz’. And Warner Bros. has ‘Red Brick Road’, which is based on the work of photorealistic artist Rob Prior. But now, it looks like The CW is getting in on the game as well at they are moving forward with their own Oz show.
From the trio of Tim Kring, Adam Armus, and Nora Kay Foster of ‘Heroes’ fame, the network has picked up the series ‘Dorothy Must Die’, a show based on an upcoming young adult novel by Danielle Paige that is set 80 years after Dorothy Gale went somewhere over the rainbow that finds the heroine acting more like a wicked witch than we remember. Here’s a description of the story courtesy of Deadline:
The magically-ever-youthful Dorothy has stayed in Oz, presiding over a now fascist fairyland with her perfectly manicured iron fist and the help of her henchmen – the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. But when another young woman from Kansas is swept up in a tornado and magically dropped into this war-torn Oz, our hero discovers a revolutionary underground of witches and enchanted beings only to learn that she is destined to lead their people in the fight to reclaim Oz from a power-hungry Dorothy’s ruthless clutches.
‘Dorothy Must Die’ hits shelves in April, but a digital prequel novella titled ‘No Place Like Oz’ is available right now. As for the television adaptation, negotiations are still ongoing, but we’ll let you know about developments as they arise.
What do you think about The CW’s potential new take on the Land of Oz? Does ‘Dorothy Must Die’ sound like a show that you want to check out? Let us know in the comments below.