Saturday, February 5, 2011

JAMES FRANCO SEEKS WIZARD OF OZ ROLE

You'd be forgiven if you thought James Franco came from some mystical land of wonderment -- and now, he may be headed to the most famous fantasy land of them all.




Not that he isn't busy enough -- just this past week, it was announced that he was coming to Broadway -- but The Hollywood Reporter relays that the multi-talented star is in talks to take on the Wizard role in the Disney "prequel-ish" take on 'The Wizard of Oz.'



To be titled 'Oz, The Great And Powerful,' the film is set to be directed by Sam Raimi, of Spiderman fame, and feature the story of the Wizard, whose hot air balloon was swept up by a tornado and sent to the land that Dorothy would later visit.



Cinemablend says that the film would show the Wizard as a conman who falls in love with Glinda, the Good Witch, leading the two to plot against her evil two sisters.



We know how that ended up turning out.



The role was originally slated to go to Robert Downey, Jr., but the actor dropped out nearly three weeks ago, opening the opportunity for Franco to take on a new version of the timeless classic.



If cast, this would just be the latest appointment in Franco's impossibly busy schedule. In addition to the Broadway play, Franco is hosting the Oscars, directing two movies based on classic novels, starring in and directing a film about a serial killer, and working on at least three post-grad literary programs, Franco has announced that he'll be teaching a college course about himself

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