Wizard of Oz Could Get a Game of Thrones Treatment

[Fanghawk]

Wizard of Oz Could Get a Game of Thrones Treatment

Warner Horizon has picked up Red Brick Road, a retelling of Wizard of Oz that goes far beyond Kansas.

There's something about The Wizard of Oz that, <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wonderful_Wizard_of_Oz#Plot_summary>over a century later, continues to inspire frequent retellings. For example, even though Disney's Oz: The Great and Powerful is set to hit theaters this year, Warner Horizon has also picked up an Oz-inspired television series called Red Brick Road. Where Wizard and Oz deal with Dorthy and Oz respectively, Red Brick Road will re-envision the entire magical world against the backdrop of a Game of Thrones-styled political drama.

Details are sparse regarding Red Brick Road's plot, but the series is currently being described as a large-scale continuation of The Wizard of Oz, complete with political intrigue and violence. L. Frank Baum's original novel hinted at various magical conflicts and machinations that occurred prior to Dorthy's arrival, which could certainly be expanded upon for a television series. Given that the story ended with Oz leaving the Emerald City and two Witches dead, one can imagine other factions quickly moving in to fill the power vacuum left behind.

Red Brick Road is created by Rob Prior and produced by Mark Wolper, Roy Lee, and Adrian Askarieh. Individually, these producers are responsible for such projects as <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121930-Paul-Walker-to-Play-Hitman-in-Fox-Reboot>the Hitman reboot, a Psycho prequel called Bates Motel, and Leonardo da Vinci and the Soldiers of Forever. It will still be some time before we find out what they have planned for the well-explored Oz universe, but at the very least they should bring no shortage of unique ideas to the mix.

Source: <a href=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/warner-horizon-turn-oz-fantasy-420517>Hollywood Reporter, via <a href=http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/02/11/red-brick-road-wizard-of-oz-gets-a-game-of-thrones-style-makeover?abthid=511984960681263d1400002c>IGN

Permalink

 

[kajinking]

Tornadoes are coming...

 

[Infernai]

When you play the game of witches you either win or you melt...there is no middle ground.

 

[Strazdas]

So a shoddy game for a shoddy movie based on a shoddy tale. ummm no. your not getting my money.

Capcha: that escalated quickly.
It knows how to use memes. Oh no!

 

[dragongit]

Didn't HBO already have a show called Oz? As I recall, it wasn't pretty. at all.

 

[jollybarracuda]

Well that's...odd. Maybe it's just being described in an odd way but, Game of Thrones and Wizard of Oz? I mean, I don't really like the original movie like...at all, so at least it doesn't feel like a betrayal, but still, that seems like it just goes against what the classic story was going for. You know, light-hearted adventure and self-discovery and all that.

I guess you could say the world of Oz is one of the most mysterious, since we actually never get to see all that much in it. Sure we see a forest and some mountains in the movie, but for how immeasurably famous the story is, we actually know very little about the world itself. Hell, i'm not even sure if its a real place or just a psychotic break in Dorothy's mind. So maybe it could be good if it means seeing more of the world, though i'm not getting my hopes up. Fairy tale-like TV shows don't generally do that well.

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

Well since I read the Gregory Mcgquire Wicked series, Oz as a political battlefield is old news to me.

 

[Mana Fiend]

Why do I feel that the house with the Sigil of the lion will have a very different motto... "Talk me out of it!"

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

So it wouldn't be so much as a gritty reboot, more like a faithful retelling?

 

[Thyunda]

Well since I read the Gregory Mcgquire Wicked series, Oz as a political battlefield is old news to me.

Yeah...looking at the rest of the replies, I think we might be in the minority here. Y'know, given that the Wicked Witch of the West started out as something of an Animal Rights activist turned freedom fighter, I rather imagine this series could work extremely well. Oz might be a magical place but we both know just how much of it was a pile of shit. What with the Wizard being a down-on-his-luck travelling Irishman of all things.

 

[burymagnets]

That "something... that continues to inspire frequent retellings" is called being in the public domain.

 

[Scars Unseen]

That "something... that continues to inspire frequent retellings" is called being in the public domain.

This right here. It's also why we get shitty re-imaginings of Shakespeare and fairy tales. Copyright law has been perverted by Big Media to serve as a shackle on anything created since Mickey Mouse, so we have to keep looking back a few generations for material to work with. [insert obligatory Free Culture reference here]

 

[Fanghawk]

Didn't HBO already have a show called Oz? As I recall, it wasn't pretty. at all.

That's because HBO's OZ was set in a modern-day prison. Very different man behind the curtain.

 

[Matthewmagic]

This actually makes a lot of sense too me. The original Wizard of Oz was a political satire. It is just that the satire isn't very relevant anymore. Dealing with such issues as the silver standard, and William Jennings Bryan. Dorothy was actually a very small part of that story.

 

[Nazrel]

So we having the scarecrow ousted by General Jinjur, or are they just going to be making it up?

A retelling of the Oz series as a political drama would be interesting; series being the operative word there.

People never realize L. Frank Baum didn't write just 1 OZ novel he wrote 14.

Lots of setting to work with there. Not that anyone ever uses it.

 

[Sack of Cheese]

Everything is getting a gritty reboot nowadays. Sarcastic yay.

 

[Ohlookit'sMatty]

Well I'm excited about this // Granted it's about the Wizarde of Oz so that was a given from the start // I'm also intreaged about how they are going to turn into a full series // Sure there has been mini series so we know it is do able

-M

 

[dragongit]

Didn't HBO already have a show called Oz? As I recall, it wasn't pretty. at all.

That's because HBO's OZ was set in a modern-day prison. Very different man behind the curtain.

Hey Look! there goes the point.

 

[Baldr]

So we having the scarecrow ousted by General Jinjur, or are they just going to be making it up?

A retelling of the Oz series as a political drama would be interesting; series being the operative word there.

People never realize L. Frank Baum didn't write just 1 OZ novel he wrote 14.

Lots of setting to work with there. Not that anyone ever uses it.

I've read 7 of them, they are all quite dull and boring. They may have been much better 100 years ago.