GeneChing
12-16-2010, 10:58 AM
This might wind up being OT, but EW thought it will have kung fu...
Dec 15 2010 01:50 PM ET
Sexy Dorothy + kung fu = 'Oz Wars' (http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/12/15/oz-wars/)
by Jeff Labrecque
Another day, another Wizard of Oz project announced. According to Variety, Corpse Bride co-director Mike Johnson will make the CG/stop-motion Oz Wars. Of course, there’s already Summertime Entertainment’s animated Dorothy of Oz, with Lea Michele voicing Dorothy Gale. There’s Disney’s Oz, The Great and Powerful, with Sam Raimi and Robert Downey Jr. attached. Warner Bros. has a project languishing in development with Dakota Fanning reportedly playing Dorothy’s great-granddaughter. Last month, there were even rumors that Robert Zemeckis was prepping a shot-by-shot remake of the 1939 original, but those reports were quickly shot down.
But give Johnson and the folks at Vanguard Films credit: They’re at least moving in a very different direction. According to Variety, their Oz will feature monsters and martial arts, and Johnson says he wants to “create a world that’s dark, slick, sexy, and dangerous.”
Slick? Sexy? Martial arts? I have no clue how Dorothy looks and lives in Johnson’s world, but I would actually like to find out. I’d say Oz Wars is the clubhouse leader for most-over-the-rainbow concept, but which Oz project are you most excited about?
Original source
Posted: Wed., Dec. 15, 2010, 4:00am PT
Johnson to direct 'Oz Wars' (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118029075?refCatId=13)
Vanguard making live-action/stop motion feature
By Dave McNary
Vanguard Films has tapped Mike Johnson, co-director of "Corpse Bride," to helm its CG/stop-motion feature "Oz Wars."
Script, written by Rob Moreland and Athena Gam, is a transformation of the Oz narrative, with Dorothy caught up in a whirlwind of warrior witches, black magic, martial arts and monsters against a contemporary backdrop.
Vanguard topper John Williams said new stop-motion software will enable "Oz Wars" to be made at "an unprecedentedly economical cost point."
"Oz Wars" is an "animated action-adventure story, but unlike most animated films, it's not just for kids," Johnson said. "The Land of Oz will be reimagined using stop-motion to create a world that's dark, slick, sexy and dangerous."
Vanguard recently announced an overall producing and directing deal with "Kung Fu Panda" co-helmer John Stevenson, whose first Vanguard directorial project will be "Alien Rock Band," a live-action/CGI hybrid, with musician Dave Stewart of Eurythmics attached as a producer.
Johnson co-directed "Corpse Bride" with Tim Burton. As an animator his credits include "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "James and the Giant Peach" and the children's TV series "Bump in the Night"; directing credits include episodes of "The PJs" and the short "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," which he also produced.
WME represented Johnson on the deal.
Dec 15 2010 01:50 PM ET
Sexy Dorothy + kung fu = 'Oz Wars' (http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/12/15/oz-wars/)
by Jeff Labrecque
Another day, another Wizard of Oz project announced. According to Variety, Corpse Bride co-director Mike Johnson will make the CG/stop-motion Oz Wars. Of course, there’s already Summertime Entertainment’s animated Dorothy of Oz, with Lea Michele voicing Dorothy Gale. There’s Disney’s Oz, The Great and Powerful, with Sam Raimi and Robert Downey Jr. attached. Warner Bros. has a project languishing in development with Dakota Fanning reportedly playing Dorothy’s great-granddaughter. Last month, there were even rumors that Robert Zemeckis was prepping a shot-by-shot remake of the 1939 original, but those reports were quickly shot down.
But give Johnson and the folks at Vanguard Films credit: They’re at least moving in a very different direction. According to Variety, their Oz will feature monsters and martial arts, and Johnson says he wants to “create a world that’s dark, slick, sexy, and dangerous.”
Slick? Sexy? Martial arts? I have no clue how Dorothy looks and lives in Johnson’s world, but I would actually like to find out. I’d say Oz Wars is the clubhouse leader for most-over-the-rainbow concept, but which Oz project are you most excited about?
Original source
Posted: Wed., Dec. 15, 2010, 4:00am PT
Johnson to direct 'Oz Wars' (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118029075?refCatId=13)
Vanguard making live-action/stop motion feature
By Dave McNary
Vanguard Films has tapped Mike Johnson, co-director of "Corpse Bride," to helm its CG/stop-motion feature "Oz Wars."
Script, written by Rob Moreland and Athena Gam, is a transformation of the Oz narrative, with Dorothy caught up in a whirlwind of warrior witches, black magic, martial arts and monsters against a contemporary backdrop.
Vanguard topper John Williams said new stop-motion software will enable "Oz Wars" to be made at "an unprecedentedly economical cost point."
"Oz Wars" is an "animated action-adventure story, but unlike most animated films, it's not just for kids," Johnson said. "The Land of Oz will be reimagined using stop-motion to create a world that's dark, slick, sexy and dangerous."
Vanguard recently announced an overall producing and directing deal with "Kung Fu Panda" co-helmer John Stevenson, whose first Vanguard directorial project will be "Alien Rock Band," a live-action/CGI hybrid, with musician Dave Stewart of Eurythmics attached as a producer.
Johnson co-directed "Corpse Bride" with Tim Burton. As an animator his credits include "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "James and the Giant Peach" and the children's TV series "Bump in the Night"; directing credits include episodes of "The PJs" and the short "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," which he also produced.
WME represented Johnson on the deal.