Well, The Wizard Of Oz was already pretty weird anyway. Why not go all out? A horror movie set in the world of The Wizard Of Oz is in development at New Line Cinema.
The script is very early in development, with New Line picking up the project based on a pitch from screenwriter, Mike Van Waes, who currently has a script on the black list – the list of most ‘well liked’ yet unproduced screenplays in Hollywood – named Hammerspace.
To be clear, this would be a horror film set in the Wizard Of Oz universe, so Dorothy isn’t about to become a final girl, nor is the Tin Man going to be twisted into some evil villain (though who knows, at this stage).
Of course, the most famous adaptation of L. Frank Baum‘s 1900 novel is the 1939 film, but there have been plenty of shots taken at putting different spins on the story. 1978’s The Wiz starring Michael Jackson, the recent Oz Great And Powerful with James Franco and the current gritty TV sequel, Emerald City, are just a few of the attempts to keep Baum’s work in the public eye.
New Line have had plenty of success within the horror genre over the last few years, with The Conjuring 2 and Lights Out especially, so it’s no surprise they want to keep their streak going. Whether Waes’ script will be any good remains to be seen, but a horror film set in the Wizard Of Oz universe is bound to attract plenty of eyeballs either way.
#Peace.Love.TheWizardOfOz
