Disney revealed the first teaser poster of its upcoming Wizard of Oz prequel.
The film, titled Oz: The Great And Powerful, is set to be released March 2013 and stars James Franco, Zach Braff, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, and Rachel Weisz.
The movie serves as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz (1939) that starred Judy Garland and as another adaptation to author L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
James Franco stars as Oscar Diggs, the man who becomes the Wizard of Oz as he encounters three witches (Kunis, Williams, Weisz) along his journey of fame and fortunes in the Land of Oz and its inhabitants.
Directorial duties are in the hands of Sam Raimi, director of the Spider-Man and Evil Dead trilogies, who is also collaborating with composer Danny Elfman again to score the film’s music.
Actress Joey King revealed some background information on the Oz prequel to TeenSpot and how Raimi will pay homage to the 1939 classic.
“We’re doing the same thing as the first Wizard of Oz, we’re making it black and white in the beginning and then [it gets] colorful when we enter the Land of Oz,” said King. “It’s also going to be a 3D movie; I’m so excited about that. It’s going to add a whole new level to the awesomeness of Oz.”
Walt Disney Pictures hopes Oz: The Great And Powerful will match the success of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, which dominated box offices for three straight weeks in 2010.
