Wizard Of Oz ‘Reimagining’ Coming From Black-Ish Creator Kenya Barris
MGM
By Valerie Ettenhofer/Aug. 15, 2022 2:41 pm EST
The new movie also has a slightly different title: “Wizard of Oz,” taking Sean Parker’s advice from “The Social Network” and dropping the “The.” Still, it seems the project will find a way to pay homage to the MGM version of the story, as Deadline describes it as “a modern reimagining of the iconic musical.” There have also been many musical stage versions of Baum’s story over the years, beginning as early as 1902.
Barris’ prolific track record
ABC
Barris is no stranger to adaptations and reimaginings, but his best-known work is likely “black-ish,” the long-running ABC sitcom he created which ended earlier this year. Across its eight seasons, the show earned dozens of Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe win for lead actress Tracee Ellis Ross, and it also spawned two spin-offs, “Grown-ish” and the comparatively short-lived “Mixed-ish.”
While the story of Dorothy Gale audiences know best features Judy Garland in a pair of ruby-red slippers, there have been many drastically different versions of Baum’s novel brought to the screen over the years. While the most recent live-action iteration, 2013’s “Oz the Great and Powerful,” isn’t exactly a new classic, others — like the 1978 Diana Ross and Michael Jackson-led “The Wiz,” and 1985’s surprisingly nightmarish “Return To Oz” – have also put indelible spins on the source material.
As of publication time, there is no set release date for “Wizard of Oz.”
