Back in 2007, Spawn-creator Todd McFarlane made a line of toys called The Twisted Land of Oz.  He wanted to do a movie version, a dark re-imagining of Wizard of Oz — Dakota Fanning was rumored to star.  Now, apparently, that project is dead, but according to Pajiba, a family-friendly Oz sequel developed parallel to McFarlane’s version, Oz: The Return to Emerald City, is moving forward at WB. From Pajiba‘s source:

It’s a modern-day sequel. The story centers on Dorothy Neil, a bright and ambitious young lawyer for a prestigious law firm in Chicago. Neil is the grand-daughter of Dorothy Gale, who is now an old woman living in Kansas and telling her tales about her time in the land of Oz to a new generation of kids. However, trouble is afoot in Oz, as a new witch is destroying the magic that keeps the entire place running. While babysitting her boss’ kid, the kid and Dorothy Neil are brought back to Oz and united with the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow and tasked with killing an evil witch and restoring order in Oz.

Huh, well that… certainly… sounds like… a movie.  Look, all I’m saying is if a house landed on a witch’s top half, but her bottom half was just laying there with her dress pulled up… I’d probably go to town.  I mean why waste it, right?  What.  What.  Oh sure, I’m the weird one.

It’s been 70 years this month since the first Wizard of Oz movie with Judy Garland came out.  Now Todd McFarlane (Spawn) is co-producing a reboot and it’s rumored Dakota Fanning may sign on to play Dorothy.  I would rather watch Wishmagic: The Horse That Wrote Poems than any Oz movie not involving prison sex.

Daily Express reports:

But the new movie will be “darker and more action-packed” according to one Warner Bros executive.
It is the brainchild of producer Basil Iwanyk [Ed. - that's practically my porn name, Basil Iwantdyk], who explained: “It will be set in the present day and feature Dorothy’s granddaughter.”
Co-producer Todd McFarlane said: “You’ve still got Dorothy trapped in an odd place, but she’s much closer to the Ripley character from Alien than a helpless singing girl.” [...]
Terence Doyle, editor of British Film Magazine, said: “We’re perfectly placed to make it here. We have some of the best special technicians in the world and, post Harry Potter, they’ll all be twiddling their thumbs.”

I’ll be back in a bit.  I’ve got to jet over to England so I can cut off some thumbs.

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IESB recently interviewed comic book artist Todd McFarlane at the Star Trek premiere in Tempe, and long story short, he told them he’s working on getting another film adaptation of his comic book Spawn made.

“Right now I literally have five offers on the table, everything from the big studios… to more where I’m leaning, which is more of a smaller budget – just keep it down, keep it dark, keep it grungy – I mean, I’ve got two teenage daughters, and I’m trying to come up with an idea that would get them and their dates to go to it. And it’s not a comic book movie, it’s just a scary movie, a creepy movie.  …Think The Departed, but with something moving in the shadows.

…The problem is, if I go big, they’re only gonna let me produce it. If I go smaller they’ll let me write and direct it.  Which is what I’m leaning towards, which is why I’m trying to get it small enough.”

Say what you will about the 1997 Spawn movie, directed by a guy who later went on to direct Garfield’s Fun Fest, I hope they bring back John Leguizamo as the scary clown guy.  The only thing scarier than clowns is John Leguizamo chewing scenery.   [IESB has video of the McFarlane interview, Leguizamo clip below]
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