Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland Prompts Competing Wizard of Oz Remakes

Posted by on March 12th, 2010   Filed under: Fantasy, Remakes
Source: Cinematical

ozremakes

With Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland quietly managing the sixth highest opening weekend ever (and the highest opening ever for a non-sequel), you better believe that studios are standing up and taking notice. Everyone in Hollywood is now scrambling to find a fantasy fairy tale of their own to re-imagine in digital 3-D, and it looks like The Wizard of Oz is the next classic that just might end up getting a facelift. The L.A. Times reports that there are competing Wizard of Oz remakes currently in development at two different studios — one of which involves Spawn creator Todd McFarlane.

McFarlane’s Oz has been percolating over at Warner Brothers for a while now, a darker version of the tale that draws inspiration from his Twisted Land of Oz toy line. Dakota Fanning was rumoured as Dorothy at one point, although that was never really confirmed. The project has a script written by Josh Olson (A History of Violence) and is being produced by Basil Iwanyk (Clash of the Titans), and could soon become a high priority at the WB.

On the other hand, New Line is also working on a slightly more traditional take on The Wizard of Oz, written by Darren Lemke (Shrek Forever After, Jack the Giant Killer) and produced by the same people who did Twilight. It’s probably only a matter of time before one of these starts moving forward, but is this really a good idea considering that the 1939 version is considered by many to be a masterpiece? Which version of The Wizard of Oz would you prefer to see?



  • KeithTalent

    Honestly this is one film I could never really get into, even when I was a kid. Never did anything for me.

    Hopefully this leads to a remake of The Wiz!

  • xego

    Did we really think that anything was sacred in Hollywood?

  • K.C

    The wizard of OZ is a classic. You cant just remake it. Its a master piece

  • Julie J

    I’m really not a fan of remakes. I think there’s way too many nowadays and that people need to focus more on making some new classics.

  • kris

    It wouldn’t be a remake, considering that the film was based on a book.

  • Tori

    I say go for it! Tim Burton would do a FANTASTIC job on putting a dark spin on a classic. The Wizard of Oz has been done over before. I have sceen cartoon versions, The Wiz with Michael Jackson… T. Burton did a out-of-this-world spin on Alice. I hope they give him the chance.

  • Almira Gluch

    Remake this movie and I’ll drop a house on you! This is an UNTOUCHABLE film, in the vein of It’s a Wonderful Life, Gone with the Wind.

    If the Hollywood types who think they’re so much smarter than the unenlightened masses can’t think up anything other than remakes and comic books, maybe they should try giving up some of the drugs.

  • damndirtyape

    I think someone needs to do a remake of Hollywood.. as in torch the entire shitty industry and start over with new execs and new studios.

    What the fuck is wrong with those people? Seriously am I getting old or does the quality of the major projects they spit out get worse and worse every year? I don’t want to hate 90 percent of what comes out.. but I just cant seem to come to any other verdict.

    Same thing goes for music.. fuck it if getting old means I’m going to have to learn to live with seeing perhaps only 1 or 2 new films a year and replaying music I grew up with, then so be it.

  • First of all I just love how all these people talk smack about Hollywood remakes and yet for the most part these remakes make buku bucks at the box office. If put in the right hands a Wizard of OZ remake would be awesome. However all the tards on here going on and on about remakes and Hollywood being sacrilegious towards “Classics” apparently don’t know how to read. No studio is working on a remake of the 1939 film. Also Baulm wrote several other OZ stories not just the one that was made famous by the 1939 classic. I say first and foremost give the “Wicked” Directing job to Tim Burton and then he can do a proper remake to the Wizard of OZ or they can pick a different sequel to do.

  • They should just make a movie version of Wicked.

  • Jonathan

    I am a huge fan of TWOZ and Judy Garland, I have seen the movie thousands of times! It is to me the greatest film ever made, and will stay that way forever. They can never truly top the original know matter how great or how many new features they can think of, for there is only one Judy Garland and you cant fake that. I would however love to see a remake, just think of how the flying monkey scene would look with new technology!! That would be so amazing! Just because someone remakes a film, doesnt mean the world will forget where it came from..Yours truly, a wizard of oz fan for life.

  • Undiscovered Haley Farris should be Dorothy. IMDB Haley Farris

  • Megan

    I really want to see a darker version of this story, a lot closer to the book though. Where Dorothy has silver shoes, not ruby ¬_¬
    It would be amazing if Tim Burton got there first before all these others, it’d be perfect.

  • Mr. On

    What remake? Why bother?
    They already redid the audio from monophonic to 5.1 Surround years ago anyway, so why not the visuals.
    Simply use 3D conversion algorhythms which G. Lucas & Co. have been using to convert the STAR WARS films;
    If done well it would be just a new way of seeing the ORIGINAL- especially if they keep the sepia tone beginning & end in 2D, & only convert the “Oz” sequences -and set a precedent.
    Can just imagine the Glinda ‘bubble’ floating, as well as the Wizard’s big head, the Flying Monkeys, etc., all in audience space.
    Face it, it’s inevitable, and I for one would still prefer the original to some remake/reimagining/reboot.

  • KBeans7

    What’s really REALLY annoying me about this Alice remake by Burton is that everyone is seeming to forget the last re-make of this film from 1999 which was excellent and not totally reliant on CGI and world famous voice artists!also Helena Bohnam Carter literally lifted her rendering of the queen of hearts from Miranda Richardsons amazing interpretation in the 1999 re-make grrrrr….

  • IVnik8or

    It would be nice to see a Wizard of Oz that follows the story from the 1900 book not the 1930’s screenplay.

  • catdgirl

    If Tim could do this movie it would be perfect! I believe he could make this movie as good if not better then his other movies! Its not a remake if Tim Burton could or would do this movie, He makes then different he makes then origanal! He makes all movies he does into his own!

  • Kam

    I heard one is already done Starring Christopher Lloyd as the Wizard, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd (back together) and Mia Sara seems to make this her comeback!! Its called Witches of Oz 3D http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1592287/

    trailer is all over the internet!

  • Fiyero

    So, I honestly wouldn’t mind a re-make of this movie considering it is really old and I’m surprised they haven’t remade it already. I, however, DON”T want Tim Burton to do it unless it would be more like the style of Big Fish and not Alice in Wonderland. Alice was alright, but it was too cartoony for me. If there is a Wizard of Oz then make it as real as possible and also, I sure as hell don’t want to see Wicked made into a movie. The cast is going to be famous people who can’t sing and it would not do justice to the Broadway Show. nothing compares to that set and the visuals and they would cut out songs and replace them and I actually like every song in Wicked so, yay to Wizard of Oz remake and Neigh to Wicked…

  • Wes

    I think people are afraid to do a re-make of The Wizard of OZ. Not because it is a timeless classic (which I don’t really agree with by the way), but because the film is cursed!! Hollywood is overly superstitious; they do not want any part in curses or hexes. I say, stop being pansies and re-make it!!! Tim Burton would be the best choice in style for this film. He might also do what the other film did not; recognize that the movie is not just a kid story. It is a story of our struggling Nation in its infancy. Plus it would be wicked sweet to see the true origin of the Tin Woodsman!

  • Monica

    I would LOVE to see a remake of the wizard of oz,…But it will never as great as the original….NEVER!!!

  • Athena

    I would love to see Tim Burton remake the wizard of oz it would be extremely amazing and he would have to have Johnny depp in it. I really am looking forward to him doen it up. ;} that’s if he does it anyway xp

  • Layna

    I wish hollywood would leave classics alone. Rule of thumb people, it is better to remake crappy movies than good ones.

    There have been more than enough Wizard of Oz adaptions and all that came after 1939 failed for a reason.

    Besides, I can’t stand Tim Burton, I don’t like his dark vision of everything. And for that matter, I would never want to see Wizard of Oz remade…the last thing we need is yet another dark movie that is more depressing than it is interesting.

    Some people of today really need to get their heads out of their butts.

    Oh and as a side note, just because the technology can make something cooler won’t necessarily make the movie better. It takes more than special effects to make a movie work.

  • Stephanie

    I am, as any member of my family and anyone who knows me, probably the most die hard Wizard of Oz fan. I watch this movie over and over again all of the time. It was a films that just captured me when I was young and I have just always loved the movie. I can repeat pretty much–word for word–the entire movie. I loved Judy Garland in this movie and just pretty much a Judy Garland fan period.

    I would almost say–I wouldn’t want to see a remake—but if you think about it–with the film technology as it is today—it would be at least a great try to see the remake and see just how it would turn out and to see the actors/actresses compared from the 1930’s to present. If it doesn’t make it–oh well–BUT I DO NOT THINK THAT THE ORIGINAL FILM WOULD EVER BE FORGOTTEN. I know I wouldn’t and I would always refer back to the original as the best ever and I will always love that film and never find one to replace the original.

  • David

    I think if a new movie was made it should go back to he book for inspiration. The 1939 version was too good to remake, but it strayed a fairly good distance from the book. Just as long as it is better than the attempted sequel that was, if I remember correctly, called “Return to Oz”

  • Tennessee

    To whom it may concern,

    The Wizard of Oz. In 1939, it was a critical year around the globe. Consider the looming threat of war, the effects of the poverty stricken Americans-and then like a light at the end of the tunnel, there was the effervescent hope of the movies. People flocked to the Wizard of Oz that year. It was golden, and glorious. A masterpiece in every way. Costumes, actors, script, photography, direction, music, lyrics, set design. To remake it would be disrespectful, and I believe Hollywood should leave it as it is. A contributor to the preservation of Hollywood in its prime, when it was in a place of absolute excellence. Good story, Spectacular film making, and a treasure to be left untouched for future generations.

  • Ashley

    PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT REMAKE THIS WONDERFUL CLASSIC!! Tim is going to make it too scary and totally mess up what the original is to many kids and millions of fans! Please just leave this one alone! You wouldn’t remake Sound of music, or Gone with the wind? Just leave it be!

  • IVnik8or

    FYI the 1939 version was also a remake.