Director Sam Raimi's back behind the camera and hard at work with Walt Disney Pictures' Oz The Great and Powerful, a fantasy adventure film that tells the backstory of the Wizard of Oz (played by James Franco). Filming's just begun at Raleigh Studios in Pontiac, Michigan, a 200,000 square foot sound stage where the entire film will be shot.
Mitchell Kapner (The Whole Nine Yards) and David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) wrote the screenplay. Disney's set a March 8, 2013 release date for Oz The Great and Powerful.
Per Disney's official start of production press release, Oz The Great and Powerful "imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum's beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot--fame and fortune are his for the taking--that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity--and even a bit of wizardry--Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well."
Supporting members of the cast include Zach Braff (best known for starring in Scrubs) as Franco's circus assistant and as the voice of Finley, a CGI winged monkey who goes with Franco's character to Oz. Joey King (Ramona and Beezus) voices China Girl, a CGI character who also joins the Wizard on his journey to Oz.
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(Photo of Sam Raimi by Alberto E Rodriguez/Getty Images)
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