McFarlane Goes to Oz

By Jon Condit
August 22nd, 2007

”Dorothy as some bondage queen isn’t something I want to do," It’s not often a quote like that appears in Daily Variety so when it does, we have to point it out.

The quote comes from History of Violence writer Josh Olson, who has been brought on board by Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow to work on a new vision of Frank L. Baum’s Oz with toy maker/sports nut/comic creator Todd McFarlane.

He refers, of course, to the “Twisted Land of Oz” toys McFarlane had on shelves a few years back and while it’s disappointing that that exact vision won’t make it to the big screen, the two are definitely working on something darker than the original film. More of a strong PG-13 type of movie.

And for once, it may not be a remake, either, as Olson explains; ”We still want to take advantage of the first film, which might be the most beloved of all time, and rely on its place in your cultural memory to bubble beneath the surface," Yeah, I'm down for that. Oz as Baum envisioned it was a much darker place than the movie portrayed, so there's a lot of room to work with and still be faithful to the man's creation.

Things are in the very early stages right now, but this is assuredly a project we’ll be keeping an eye on. Keep it here for more!

- Johnny Butane