According to an exclusive report from Deadline, Kenya Barris has been hired by Warner Bros. to develop and direct a new rendition of the classic fairy tale The Wizard of Oz. Khalabo Ink Society, with Sheila Walcott at the helm, will produce the film. No casting or production dates have been announced for the new Wizard of Oz remake, but it is being said that the film will be a modern re-imagining of the classic narrative that so many people grew up with.
As filming gets underway, more details about the movie should emerge. Barris is well recognised as the brains behind the hit comedy series Black-ish, from which Grown-ish and Mixed-ish branched out. Barris’ debut as a feature film director, You People, starring Eddie Murphy, will premiere on Netflix at some point this year. The new Wizard of Oz might be a thrilling and unique take on a classic tale, given that it was written by the author of one of the most cherished and long-lasting stories in film and literature. L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz first appeared in print in 1900, and since then, it has been read and loved by people of all ages. MGM’s The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland in 1939, is one of several iconic versions of the novel that have endured through time due to its widespread success.
The Wiz, a musical adaptation starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson based on the book by William F. Brown, and Oz: The Great and Powerful, released in theatres in 2013 and serving as a prequel to the original plot, are two more well-known adaptations. In addition to Barris’s adaptation, Jon M. Chu’s Wicked Part 1 will debut in theatres in 2024, offering another take on the Wizard of Oz saga (Crazy Rich Asians). Part 1 of the film version of the musical Wicked by Stephen Schwartz is now in production.
The musical was adapted from Gregory McGuire’s best-selling novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The world went crazy for the Wicked narrative because it was told from the Wicked Witch of the West’s point of view. The sequel is scheduled for the following year. Fans of the original tale have a lot to look forward to in a coming couple of years, as a number of new Oz films have been announced. Barris’s Wizard of Oz film is currently in production, hence there is no definite release date.