The Wizard of Ozmay be getting a new adaptation in the wake of theupcomingWicked: For Good. L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novelThe Wonderful Wizard of Ozhas been adapted to the screen multiple times, most notably in the Oscar-winning 1939 film starring Judy Garland.
The most notable recent film featuring Baum’s characters is 2024’sWicked, which is based on the first act of the Broadway musical adapting the Gregory Maguire novel that tells the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West. The movie, which will be followed by the act two adaptationWicked: For Good, wasthe fifth highest-grossing movie of 2024 worldwide.
In aWarner Bros.earnings call, David Zaslav revealed thata new project based onThe Wizard of Ozis being eyed by the entertainment company. While discussing the impendingWizard of Ozpresentation at the Las Vegas Sphere, he said that “we’re also looking at our own project around Wizard of Oz that we’ll talk about at some point.”
While the Universal Pictures productionWickedwas not explicitly mentioned, the success of the movie - which won two Oscars out of 10 overall nominations - could very well be a major factor driving this decision.
What This Means For The Wizard Of Oz
While the original L. Frank Baum novel is in the public domain and is thus able to be adapted in various forms by other companies,Warner Bros. owns the rights to the 1939 movieand many of its unique visual elements, including the iconic ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland’s character, Dorothy.
Therefore, the project that they could bring to the screen would be able to use important elements that competing projects, such asUniversal’sWickedand Disney’s 2013 prequelOz the Great and Powerful, could not. Should this be a major live-action project likeWicked, it would bethe first of its kind since WB acquired theOzrightsin the mid-1990s.
Oz the Great and Powerfulstarred James Franco as the younger version of the Wizard, coming to Oz for the first time.
Warner Bros. has not brought a major live-actionWizard of Ozadaptationto the big screen during that time.The primary avenue through which they’ve engaged with the property is animation, namely via twoOz-themed features starring the animated characters Tom and Jerry and the three-season 2017 Boomerang seriesDorothy and the Wizard of Oz.
Our Take On The New Wizard Of Oz Project
It remains to be seen if the new project adaptingThe Wizard of Ozcomes to fruition or what form it will take. However, it could very well capitalize on the success of theWickedmovies, which have found a solid audience but have their limitations in terms of how they can connect to the original 1939 movie.
