"Wicked" Film Coming Soon! Who Should Direct?

You really had to have seen the musical to appreciate this post. My wife and I saw Wicked last year in Los Angeles and fell in love. Wicked is "the untold story of the witches of Oz". The musical is so good, so clever, such a spectacle, I walked out thinking to myself, "this is going to make an amazing movie". And here we are a little over a year later, and the news has been announced of such a film.

Deadline broke the story, reporting that Universal will be distributing the film and that the studio has met with various directors. The list includes: J.J. Abrams (Star Trek), James Mangold (Knight and Day), Ryan Murphy (Eat Pray Love), and Rob Marshall (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Chicago).

Check out the Deadline article for details of how the movie came to be. I'm going to instead look at what each of these rumored directors brings to the table:

J.J. Abrams

The man can direct an event film. I have never seen a single episode in the 60+ years of Star Trek. One trailer later, I was hooked. I loved Abram's take on the series. The movie was a major success and that's entire because of Abrams.








James Mangold

Mangold has a hell of a resume. His movies are highlighted with inspired performances by numerous actors/actresses. 3:10 to Yuma, Walk the Line, Girl Interrupted, and Copland are all great stories involving human emotion. This will be necessary as Wicked is not all about song and dance. The characters have real problems, and how those problems and emotions are portrayed on film is vital to the movie's success.





Ryan Murphy

I feel like I've been living under a rock or something because I've never seen an episode of "Glee" before. The musical comedy sitcom was just nominated for 19 EMMYS! Holy wow. Murphy is one of the creators/writers/directors of the show. So this makes sense. His writing talents could help with the movie. But to be honest with you, I wouldn't change a darn thing, the writing of the play is too good to toy with. But Murphy will obviously know how to use a camera to capture the choreography involved in a musical, interesting choice.



Rob Marshall

Rob Marshall is right now directing Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth entry in the 'Pirates' franchise. That shows the man can handle a massive production, which Wicked will be. There's sets, costumers, locations, special effects, etc. All of which will need Marshall's expertise. The man was nominated for an Oscar, for a MUSICAL (Chicago) for God's sake. Chicago went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture, but Marshall lost in the Best Director category.



OK this post has gone on long enough. Who should direct the amazing musical turned film, Wicked?

Sam Raimi directing Robert Downey Jr. as the Wizard of Oz

The origin story of the Wizard of Oz will be told through the eyes of Sam Raimi. Robert Downey Jr. will play the lead, the Wizard. The movie will be called Oz, the Great and Powerful which was written by Mitchell Kapner (The Whole Nine Yards).

Raimi created 3 of the biggest movies in the history of film with the Spider-Man trilogy. I really wasn't a fan. Yes, I paid to see all three in theaters and I own all three on DVD, but I didn't like the campy approach Saimi chose for the movies. Not every superhero movie needs to be The Dark Knight, but still, give me something a bit darker than Tobey Maguire skipping down the streets of New York. With no concept art, no other casting, no plot points, I'll stay skeptical of this project for now.

Quickie: Wizard of Oz coming to theaters for one night only

Have you seen the advertising for Fathom Events? They usually play before a movie at the theater. They have this great concept of bringing concerts and plays to the big screen. But on September 23rd, for one night only, they're playing a completely remastered The Wizard of Oz. The movie will play on 440 screens nationwide in high definition for the first time ever. There's more! Not only are you going to see the movie, but here's a list from Fathom Events of what else you'll see during the screening:

In addition to the feature presentation of The Wizard of Oz, this exclusive event will include a special introduction by Robert Osborne, a classic film historian and host of Turner Classic Movies, followed by “We’re Off to See the Wizard,” a look into how L. Frank Baum’s classic novel was transformed into one of the most beloved films of all time including archival interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and rare musical outtakes. Also featured will be an exclusive clip of the Scarecrow, Ray Bolger, dancing in High-definition for the very first time.

Not bad for a night out at the movies. Last year my wife and I went and saw Wicked, the musical and a new interest in The Wizard of Oz was born inside of us. I will be taking my wife to see the movie and hope to see some of our followers there as well. Click here to buy your tickets today.