Are You Ready For A Remake Of ‘The Wizard Of Oz?’
It looks like we’ll be following the yellow brick road again. Reports are swirling that a remake of The Wizard of Oz is in the works at New Line Cinema. No release date has been announced. According to multiple outlets, including Variety, Nicole Kassell will be directing the adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s classic story. Kassell is known for her work on Watchmen, Westworld, and The Woodsman. Apparently, she has a thing for the letter W, so I suppose The Wizard of Oz makes sense.
Hollywood has been on a tear with remakes in recent years. Some of them are good. A Star is Born is an example of a movie that has benefited from multiple updates over the years because of the musical element. However, there are some films that don’t need to be touched. The Wizard of Oz is one of them.
Even though the Judy Garland version dates back to World War II (1939), it holds up just fine. For the record, that version isn’t the earliest. There’s also one from the silent era (1925) that featured Oliver Hardy (Laurel & Hardy). And there have been other reinterpretations over the decades, but none of them top the 1939 version.
Now Hollywood is going to try again with a “fresh take” on the story about the Land of Oz. Who knows? Maybe modern special effects will enhance it, but the casting will make or break this movie. I just hope this isn’t opening the door for remakes of Citizen Kane, The Godfather, Casablanca, or It’s a Wonderful Life. Shouldn’t some things still be sacred?
