Several weeks ago we reported newly anointed Disney production president Sean Bailey had a meeting on a “Wizard of Oz” prequel about the wizard before he came to Oz.
Now we’re hearing that those meetings went well, so well that the project is on a fast track of sorts. According to word in the development community, Robert Downey Jr. is talking to producers about starring as the wizard.
Meanwhile, two directors are said to be considered top candidates to get behind the camera: “American Beauty” director Sam Mendes and “Hairspray” and “Bedtime Stories” director Adam Shankman, who most recently pulled the strings from behind the curtain at the Oscars.
The two directors being considered, meanwhile, would seem to mark two directions for the picture, given the more subdued and even bleaker tones that have infused Mendes’ work and the lighter, more whimsical one that has marked Shankman’s.
Disney is said to like the premise enough (and with Roth’s “Alice in Wonderland” doing so fantastically well, why not?) that if it all comes together, they could shoot the movie as early as next spring, when Downey has a spot in his production schedule. From down-and-out to playing Tony Stark and, possibly, the Wizard of Oz — it’s like he’s on his own yellow brick road.
Click here for the complete article from the LA Times.
Photo Marvel Entertainment
Let our friends at Destinations to Travel help you book your next Disney Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.
Get started below for your FREE No Obligation Quote.
Book With our friends at Destinations to Travel
For the BEST in Disney, Universal, Dollywood, and SeaWorld Theme Park News, Entertainment, Merchandise & More follow us on, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Don't forget to check out the Chip and Company Radio Network too!
