We know a lot of you Comic Vine maniacs have just being loving Eric Shanower and Skottie Young’s WONDERFUL WORLD OF OZ to bits, so I’m sure you’re going to be pleased as punch to learn that ( according to GeekTyrant) SPIDER-MAN director Sam Raimi’s just signed on to direct OZ, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL. And it’s starring Iron Man, no less. Yes sir, Robert Downey Jr’s attached to play the Wizard, begetting many bizarre visions of Tony Stark conquering the Oz in my warped imagination.

The movie’s story will be a prequel to the Dorothy-centered adventures we’re all so familiar with. According to Hit Fix, RDJ’s nascent wizard will be a “lecherous con artist” who flees 1900s Kansas in a hot air balloon after being caught fooling around with a married lady. Yikes! I’m sure they’re going to be drawing from the 20-odd Oz books that have yet to be adapted, but as dark as those original stories ever got (and they do get violent) I somehow dobut these kinds of dalliances are to be found anywhere in the likes of OZMA OF OZ or RINKTINK OF OZ. == TEASER ==

This is going be a Disney production, following on the heels of ALICE IN WONDERLAND’s absurd grosses, so I suppose it begs the question of whether they’re going to tie in to the continuing Marvel Illustrated adaptations.  It would make sense, wouldn’t it? Corporate synergy and what not. I know G-Man and Lil’ G-Girl would be happy about it. But what do you Comic Vine maniacs think?

Just as an aside, I feel like sharing my unusual relationship to the Oz books. I used to live just next to Chittenango, New York, the birthplace of L. Frank Baum and that town throws an annual "Ozfest" wherein they paint all the sidewalks yellow, hold a parade with every kind of Oz character and even offer a spaghetti dinner with the surviving Munchins. I bring that up because Ozfest also set up exhibits of all the illustrations from the original Books and, after seeing them, I have to say I’m surprised they included in comics history more often. There were a lot of illustrations and their interplay with the text was a significant part of the experience. 

-- Tom Pinchuk is the writer of UNIMAGINABLE for Arcana Studios and HYBRID BASTARDS! for Archaia. HYBRID BASTARDS! is available  here and UNIMAGINABLE is available here for pre-order on Amazon.com.  

I wonder if it'll be true to the spirit of the Oz books?  I guess I just find it an odd combination; Raimi & RDJ for a kids story.  But I'm sure they could both bring a charming & other-worldy magic to it.

Tik Tok of OZ?
I wake up in the morning feeling like Dorothy.

This gives me bad memories of "Return to Oz".

Please feature Bruce Campbell. Please feature Bruce Campbell. Please feature Bruce Campbell. PLEASE FEATURE BRUCE CAMPBELL!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

No. No. No. No. 
 
Sorry to be the jerk here, but I'm a little sick of Raimi. I appreciate what he's done and what he came from, but he's a little too smug with his craziness for me. While he may be a good fit for Oz, I'll be elsewhere during the theatrical run. 

NICE! sounds awesome. I was saying when alice was coming out i would have rather a new Oz movie based on the original books. Very pleased, and Raimi and RDJ? EVEN BETTER!

Ah, so Mr. Pinchuk is an Oz fan as well, eh? 
 
Here's my curiosity:  this is supposed to be the Wizard coming to Oz, right?  Well, a list of things that I'm curious how they will handle: 

• What parts of the world of Oz will we see?  Just the Emerald City and Munchkin territory as that's what moviegoers know from that blasphemous abomination of a musical film, or will we see Quadling and Gillikin and Winkie country?  Hell, which MAP are they going with?  The basic "four territories with city in middle surrounded by desert and sand", or the extended map including all the territories OUTSIDE of the deserts and sand?
• With this being the Wizard just arriving in Oz, will there be any mention of Mombi and Ozma...and moreover, the way the Wizard comes to power in Oz?  Will they play it the way that Marvelous Land of Oz makes it, or will they go the route of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz and just completely make the Wizard not know anything about that stuff?
• Will people actually find the Wizard to be a worthwhile character to root for?  I mean, let's face it:  the Wizard ain't necessarily no good guy.  He's done some bad stuff.  Hell, he conned the ENTIRE LAND OF OZ to gain rule.  Will there be enough of a redeeming factor and saving grace about a con man...even with the wily charm of Robert Downey Jr....for me to not just say "this movie is trying to make a villain likable"?
• They mentioned that he'll be a sleazy con man, but I wonder if they'll also bring up and mention that he is a great inventor as well!

"I...AM...IRO... I mean..OZ!"

Does anyone else think its time to put stories like Oz or Alice in Wonderland to bed? They keep on getting retold again and again. I understand that they are good stories, but its getting tiresome. Why can't people forget about failytales like those for a while and work on something original? 

If it's Sam Raimi, I'll watch it.

" @xerox-kitty:  and yet johnny depp and tim burton isn't seen as a weird combo for kids films?! "

Will have to pick up the books for this in order to get a better idea formed.

That's not begging the question...