(Left) David Boreanaz in ‘Bones’. Photo: 20th Century Fox Television. (Right) James Garner in ‘The Rockford Files’. Photo: Universal Television.
Preview:
David Boreanaz will star in a pilot for a new ‘Rockford Files’ series.
James Garner originated the role of private eye Jim Rockford.
NBC has high hopes for the new pilot.
As the saying goes, everything old is new again. And in this case, it goes double.
While TV networks had largely abandoned the pilot process, NBC is among those bringing it back on a more limited basis, with one of the biggest around being a new take on private eye drama ‘The Rockford Files’, which starred James Garner in the 1970s.
James Garner in ‘The Rockford Files’. Photo: Universal Television.
The original series saw Garner as a witty, world-weary private eye, and from the sounds of it, writer Mike Daniels is keeping largely to the format.
In the modern show, newly paroled after doing time for a crime he didn’t commit, James Rockford (Boreanaz) returns to his life as a private investigator using his charm and wit to solve cases around Los Angeles, with his charmingly gruff exterior masking a strong moral core.
It doesn’t take long for his quest for legitimacy to land him squarely in the crosshairs of both local police and organized crime.
Does Boreanaz have the Garner family seal of approval?
(L to R) David Boreanaz and Sarah Michelle Gellar in ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’. Photo: 20th Century Fox Television.
Indeed he does! James Garner’s daughter Gigi gave the actor a glowing social media endorsement after Boreanaz called her to ask if her late father would approve him taking on the role…
So, I recently got a call from David Boreanaz.
He was kind enough to share that he was offered the series & thinking about it. He wanted to know how I felt about the reboot, etc…
If anybody can do it, HE CAN!
I’m 💯 on board! It is going to be great! #PureClass#Jimbohttps://t.co/yGvgsGPuTB
In addition to taking a lead role, Reynolds would produce and is at work on a new script, writing alongside Enzo Mileti and Scott Wilson, whose joint screenwriting resume includes season 4 of ‘Fargo.’
And on the directing front, editor Shane Reid (who was one of two editors on ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’) is stepping up to make his shot-calling debut.
(L to R): Jeff Bridges and Clint Eastwood in 1974’s ‘Thunderbolt & Lightfoot’.
The original 1974 ‘Thunderbolt & Lightfoot’ starred Clint Eastwood as a bank robber disguised as a preacher and on the run from his old gang, who erroneously believe he double-crossed them.
When he meets up with Lightfoot, a low-level street thief played by Jeff Bridges, the two come up with a plan to team with the old gang for a new bank job. Nothing goes as intended.
The movie was the directorial debut of Michael Cimino, who would later go on to win a best directing Oscar for his 1978 Vietnam War drama ‘The Deer Hunter.’ Cimino also wrote the script for ‘Thunderbollt.’ Bridges earned an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor for his performance.
And stop us if we’re wrong, but we’re thinking… could this be the movie that reunites Reynolds with his pal and ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ co-star Hugh Jackman? Actually, don’t stop us. We like the idea too much.
What else is Ryan Reynolds up to?
Ryan Reynolds attends the UK Fan Event of Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at Eventim Apollo, London on July 11th, 2024. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Despite saying he’s taking a break after all the effort he poured into the last Deadpool movie, Reynolds has seemingly been as busy as ever, just more behind the scenes. That is when he’s not appearing in Mint Mobile commercials every other TV ad break.
Just this week, he signed on to star as the villain in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of ‘Eloise,’ based on the children’s book series written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight, which he and his Maximum Effort colleagues are producing. He is also a producer on ‘John Candy: I Like Me,’ the documentary on the late great comedic actor that premiered at this year’s Toronto Film Festival and is now streaming on Amazon.
Besides those, there are his rumored plans for a Deadpool/X-Men crossover and various other potential movies.
When might the new ‘Thunderbolt & Lightfoot’ be on screens?
With the movie still in a relatively early development phase, Amazon MGM has yet to commit to an actual release date. But it sounds like there is some positive forward movement.
Ryan Reynolds in ‘Smokin’ Aces’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
In theaters on August 29th is ‘The Roses’, the new adaptation of Warren Adler’s 1981 novel about a married couple whose relationship descends into frustration, deception and all-out war.
Jay Roach and ‘The Favourite’s writer Tony McNamara go a different route for ‘The Roses’, which for much of its running time is a portrait of a seemingly blissful couple whose public façade hides simmering resentments, but is more cold war until it truly ignites in the third act.
McNamara has long shown a talent for writing believably toxic relationships with enough of a farcical edge to keep it all from being too brutal –– except when it needs to be. His screenplay for ‘The Roses’ is the perfect fodder for two British stars (American audiences may sometimes react the way their marriage counsellor does in the first scene, taken aback by the sheer comic vitriol on display) to trade barbs like consummate pros.
And Roach, who has blended comedy and drama to winning effect (but also knows how to make farce serve story), was a solid choice to make this, keeping out of the cast’s way and working with them to develop the dynamics in very funny, sharp ways.
While you do sometimes wonder whether the film would have been better set in the UK, the disconnect between the leads and their American friends/co-workers does add some spice to the story.
This one really works because of its firecracker central pair; Cumberbatch and Colman may not totally convince as a couple deep in the throes of love and family, but when it comes to subversive, scathing dialogue, they are experts.
As Cumberbatch’s character sees his professional architect career (and ego) crumble even as his wife’s chef ambitions flourish, they craft excellent performances, bouncing off one another.
There is a deep bench of comedy performers backing them up, but the standouts here are certainly Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon as Amy and Barry, friends of the couple whose own marriage has seen better days. Credit also to Allison Janney, who pops up for one scene as Colman’s ruthless divorce lawyer, stealing every moment she’s on screen.
‘The Roses’ may be more a skirmish than a war, but it is also a reboot that justifies its existence with a very different type of caustic relationship clash and superlative performances from its leads.
It may not always be a feel-good movie, but that’s not the intent. And it’ll certainly make you laugh.
Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy (Olivia Colman) and Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch): successful careers, a loving marriage, great kids.
But beneath the façade of their supposed ideal life, a storm is brewing –– as Theo’s career nosedives while Ivy’s own ambitions take off, a tinderbox of fierce competition and hidden resentment ignites.
Yet as these things always seem to do, the project has since evolved back into more of a reboot, with Stallone dropping out (hopefully not down a giant cliff) and the storyline switching to characters played by Lily James and Pierce Brosnan.
And there have also been some changes behind the camera, too.
What’s the story of this new ‘Cliffhanger’?
Lily James on the set of ‘Cliffhanger’. Photo: Rocket Science.
The first change beyond the stars for the movie is in the script, which is based on a story by Ana Lily Amirpour (who was involved with the film back in another incarnation in 2019). Variety has heard it described as a father-daughter take on ‘Die Hard.’
Brosnan will play seasoned mountaineer Ray Cooper, who operates a luxury chalet in the Dolomites with daughter Sydney.
During a weekend trip with a billionaire’s son, they are targeted by a gang of kidnappers. Ray’s other daughter Naomi (James), still haunted by a past climbing accident, witnesses the attack and escapes. To save her family, she must confront her fears and fight for survival.
While Ric Roman Waugh was aboard to direct the film when Sly was still aboard, the reins have now passed to ‘Non-Stop’s Jaume Collet-Serra, with the producing team of Rocket Science still aboard after all these different iterations.
Collet-Serra is busy rolling cameras on the movie now in Austria and offered up this statement:
“Shooting our movie on location in the Dolomites using large format cameras was imperative for us to show the scope and scale of the story we’re telling. We’re going to bring the audience a truly thrilling and visceral, premium theatrical experience. Lily in particular has gone above and beyond for the role, putting in real training and learning to climb. Her dedication has allowed us to capture some incredible shots we couldn’t have achieved otherwise, and the whole crew is blown away by her commitment.”
When will the new ‘Cliffhanger’ dangle into theaters?
Rocket Science will be offering domestic distribution rights to the movie, with CAA Media selling international.
Which is a longwinded way of saying that there is no studio aboard yet, so we’ll have to wait for any release date details. But the fact remains that the movie shooting at all is a big step forward.
(L to R) Lily James and Richard Madden in ‘Cinderella’. Photo: Walt Disney Studios.
It follows Flanders (De Mornay), a twisted widow (whose dead husband was, er, a sex offender) who, distraught over losing her own baby, insinuates herself into a family (of a woman who was one of her husband’s victims) as their nanny, with the ultimate goal of taking the kids and the husband for herself.
Winstead is taking over the role of the mother of the family that Monroe infiltrates, playing a part that Sciorra took in the original film.
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Who else is working on the new ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle’?
Maika Monroe as ‘Julia’ in Chloe Okuno’s ‘Watcher.’ Photo Credit: Courtesy of IFC Midnight. An IFC Midnight release.
Alongside Monroe, the creative team includes scriptwriter Micah Bloomberg, who previously worked on 2022’s ‘Sanctuary’ and created TV series ‘Homecoming’.
In the director’s chair this time is Cervera, who has made the likes of ‘Huesera: The Bone Woman.’
She was also selected for the 2023 Sundance Momentum Fellowship and was nominated for Breakthrough Director at the 2023 Gotham Independent Film Awards.
What else is Mary Elizabeth Winstead working on?
Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Netflix’s ‘Kate’ (2021).
Maika Monroe as ‘Julia’ in Chloe Okuno’s ‘Watcher.’ Photo Credit: Courtesy of IFC Midnight. An IFC Midnight release.
Preview:
Maika Monroe is starring in a new take on ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle’.
It’s a new version of the 1992 thriller.
Michelle Garza Cervera is directing the movie.
Welcome to the latest chapter of remake theater, where a studio digs a recognizable title out of its archives and intends to give it a new coat of cinematic paint, with fresh talent involved.
In this case, the company is 20th Century Studios, and the movie is 1992 psychological thriller ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,’ which helped give Rebecca De Mornay a big career boost when she starred as the vengeful Peyton Flanders, who wreaks havoc on a family.
It follows Flanders (De Mornay), a twisted widow (whose dead husband was, er, a sex offender) who, distraught over losing her own baby, insinuates herself into a family (of a woman who was one of her husband’s victims) as their nanny, with the ultimate goal of taking the kids and the husband for herself.
What new twists and turns the new version have in store have yet to be revealed, but we can’t imagine audiences would be impressed with a straightforward re-telling.
Who else is working on the new ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle’?
(L to R) Annabella Sciorra and Rebecca De Mornay in ‘The Hand that Rocks the Cradle’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
Alongside Monroe, the creative team includes scriptwriter Micah Bloomberg, who previously worked on 2022’s ‘Sanctuary’ and created TV series ‘Homecoming’.
In the director’s chair this time is Michelle Garza Cervera, who directed the likes of ‘Huesera: The Bone Woman.’
She was also selected for the 2023 Sundance Momentum Fellowship and was nominated for Breakthrough Director at the 2023 Gotham Independent Film Awards.
Where else have I seen Maika Monroe?
Maika Monroe as ‘Julia’ in Chloe Okuno’s ‘Watcher.’ Photo Credit: Courtesy of IFC Midnight. An IFC Midnight release.
As we previously mentioned, Monroe is the star of this year’s biggest indie hit, ‘Longlegs’, which was directed Oz Perkins and co-starred Nicolas Cage.
(Center) Simone Joy Jones in 2024’s ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.’ Photo: BET+.
Opening in limited release in theaters on April 12th, ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead’ takes the basic structure of the 1991 comedy that starred Christina Applegate and gives it a fresh new life with some worthwhile changes and a handful of solid, charismatic performances bolstered by a story that doesn’t tie itself in knots trying to get the protagonists into scrapes.
Crucially, it also finds a tone that works to set the new movie apart from the original, so while there are many of the same beats, they enjoy a new spin.
Related Article: Simone Joy Jones and Nicole Richie Talk ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead’
Is ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead’ a Welcome Remake?
2024’s ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.’ Photo: BET+.
Remakes are a longtime bugbear of fandom, particularly online, with each new permutation chastised as the end of creativity and a sign of Hollywood’s lack of imagination. Take a recognizable title, slap on a different cast and tweak one or two ideas, and voila! New movie that can be sold over again.
And there is a raft of movies that it would be wise never to touch –– we’ve seen studios stumble trying to revisit the likes of ‘RoboCop’, ‘The Wicker Man’ and more. Fortunately for ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead’, the new movie has a head start, since the original is a fun film, but hardly a stone cold classic.
Which makes this new one all the more opportune. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s also a rather fun night at the movies.
‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead’: Script and Direction
2024’s ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.’ Photo: BET+.
Chuck Hayward wrote the new version, with the story still credited to the original’s Neil Landau and Tara Ison, as is only right since it uses a lot of their concept.
Still, Hayward’s work on the new movie can’t be ignored, since he’s done a lot to update the premise –– one of the characters, when someone else suggests a way to get rid of the dead babysitter, scoffs, “this isn’t 1991…” And indeed it isn’t a cast of wealthy white folk either.
Though the new family is certainly not without money (and still live in a giant house), their race plays into a lot of the setup, since Tanya Crandell (Simone Joy Jones) and her siblings are acutely aware that as four black kids, they would not find many friends among the local sheriff’s department were they to reveal that their babysitter is dead –– even if she did, like in the original, pass away in her sleep.
2024’s ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.’ Photo: BET+.
Much like the original, though, the focus is a lot on Tanya (as it was on Christina Applegate’s Swell), who has to bear the brunt of finding work to make money and care for her brothers and sister. Yet the screenplay shares the love around –– her family aren’t lazy layabouts; yes, even weed-happy brother Kelly (Donielle T. Hansley Jr.), who steps up when really called upon. There are welcome character arcs for everyone, even the younger siblings’ eccentricities called upon to help when the moment requires it (younger sister Melissa, played by Ayaamii Sledge, is obsessed with true crime cases and CSI-style shows, and is a natural when it comes to dealing with the dead).
And around the leads, the script builds a collection of characters who feel like people more than archetypes –– they all have wants and needs, and no one is just a villain or anything else.
Wade Allain-Marcus keeps things moving and works well with his cast to get the most out of them. It’s also not a flat, boring shooting style, though it’s unfussy and lets the comedy flow.
‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead’: Performances
(Left) Simone Joy Jones in 2024’s ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.’ Photo: BET+.
The storyline naturally falls mostly on Jones, and she’s more than up to the task of making Tanya believably human. She’s not superwoman –– the responsibilities weigh on her and she’s as a capable of being a brat as anyone else in the household. She’s also convincingly a teenager, particularly around her mother (Ms. Pat, who has cameos at the beginning and end) and when falling for Bryan (Miles Fowler).
The relationship angle is perhaps the weaker, more traditional storyline here, but its inoffensive and has its charms.
Nicole Richie in 2024’s ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.’ Photo: BET+.
At the workplace that Tanya fakes her way into comes across as a version of ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, while still drawing from the original storyline. Nicole Ritchie is essentially playing a version of herself, but if there’s something that she knows how to do in the acting arena, it’s that –– and she has a lot of fun doing it.
While June Squibb naturally has more limited screentime as Mrs. Sturak, the babysitter, she makes an impression early on, revealing that she’s watched Madea movies in order to learn how to wrangle the kids.
‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead’: Final Thoughts
(Right) Simone Joy Jones in 2024’s ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.’ Photo: BET+.
Winning and actually welcome in the sphere of remakes, this new version actually earns its reason to exist and provides a good group of characters to root for and also laugh at.
And how refreshing it is to be able to say that?
‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
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What is the Plot of ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter is Dead’?
17-year-old Tanya’s (Simone Joy Jones) plans for a carefree summer are derailed when her stressed-to-the-limit mom (Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams) takes off for a wellness retreat and puts Tanya and her three siblings in the charge of a crotchety (and racist) old babysitter (June Squibb). The babysitter’s sudden death leaves the kids short on cash and reluctant to pull mom prematurely out of her much-needed R&R, so Tanya is forced to get a job. Posing as an adult, she gets a gig as the executive assistant at a fashion company and overnight is thrust into the world of adulthood and parenting.
Who is in the Cast of ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter is Dead’?
Simone Joy Jones as Tanya Crandell
Nicole Richie as Rose Lindsey
June Squibb as Mrs. Sturak
Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams as Mom
Donielle T. Hansley Jr. as Kelly
Miles Fowler as Bryan
June Squibb in 2024’s ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.’ Photo: BET+.
Other Movies Similar to 2024’s ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead’:
Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman will star in and produce ‘The Roses’.
Jay Roach is directing the new take on 1989 comedy thriller ‘The War of the Roses’
‘Poor Things’ Tony McNamara is aboard to adapt the William Adler novel.
Back in 1989, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner starred as the Roses –– Oliver and Barbara –– who seemed to be living the perfect life. But, as it turned out to darkly comic effect, that wasn’t exactly the case in ‘The War of the Roses’ the movie directed by Danny DeVito.
That story –– which was adapted from William Adler’s 1981 novel –– is headed back to our screens in a new incarnation. And this time, British actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman are starring.
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What’s the Story of ‘The Roses’?
(L to R) Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in ‘The War of the Roses.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Here’s the official logline for the movie: “Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Theo (Cumberbatch) and Ivy Rose (Colman): successful careers, great kids, an enviable sex life. But underneath the façade of the perfect family is a tinderbox of competition and resentments that’s ignited when Theo’s professional dreams come crashing down.”
With Colman and Cumberbatch on board to produce as well as taking the lead roles, the new movie will be directed by Jay Roach, best known for the ‘Austin Powers’ films, though more recently applauded for the politically-minded likes of ‘Bombshell’, ‘Recount’ and ‘Game Change’.
Tony McNamara, who most recently wrote ‘Poor Things’ for director Yorgos Lanthimos (and also penned the director’s ‘The Favourite’, which saw Colman scoop an Oscar for her performance), is aboard to adapt the book.
“The Roses is a wildly funny, bigger than life, and yet deeply human story. With Jay at the helm, and Benedict and Olivia and Tony, we have a dream team bringing it to life.”
And this was the statement from SunnyMarch, Cumberbatch’s production company:
“We are thrilled to be working on this very special film with such an incredible team. We have been long admirers of Jay’s work and his vision and passion to tell this story is incredibly inspiring.”
Finally, this was the comment from Colman’s team at South of the River:
“We have been cooking this up with our friends at SunnyMarch for some time, and it has been an absolute thrill to see it spring into life under Jay’s passionate and thoughtful guidance. He and Tony are a match made in cinematic comedy heaven.”
When Will ‘The Roses’ Be in Theaters?
‘The Roses’ is still in development, so it has yet to find a spot on the packed Disney release schedule. And given that both Cumberbatch and Colman are in-demand actors, it may have to wait until their availability opens up.
(L to R) Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in ‘The War of the Roses.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
A scene from 1954’s ‘Them!’ Photo courtesy of Turner Classic Movies.
After putting his love of vintage monster movies to good use with the Marvel Studios/Disney+ special ‘Werewolf By Night,’ composer turned director Michael Giacchino is taking things to the next level by helming a remake of ‘Them!’ for Warner Bros.
The original ‘Them!’ – a 1954 thriller about nuclear irradiated ants directed by Gordon Douglas – is one of the first giant monster movies and a classic of post-war paranoia sci-fi. According to Deadline, Giacchino “is meeting with writers in hopes of getting the production up quite soon.”
“There’s always a movie in your mind that never leaves your head,” says Giacchino. “For me, that’s ‘Them!’ It wasn’t until much later in life until I learned what it was about — the nuclear age.”
Adds the director, “What I love about ‘Them!’ is exactly what it’s called: ‘Them!’ It’s about the other, the unknown which one refuses or can’t understand. The current version of ‘Them!’ is about immigration, and to tell a story about the subject through a lens of this insane science fiction monster movie.”
Before helming ‘Werewolf by Night,’ he directed the short ‘Monster Challenge’ and an episode of Paramount+’s ‘Star Trek: Short Treks.’
(L to R) Composer Michael Giacchino and director J.J. Abrams on the set of ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’ Photo courtesy of Michael Giacchino’s Twitter.
Giacchino has provided the score for all of his directing projects, and will do so again for ‘Them!’
Per Deadline, Giacchino “also plans to have his filmmaker brother, Anthony Giacchino, involved in the production of ‘Them!’ Anthony Giacchino directed the Disney+ documentary about his composer-turned-filmmaker brother, ‘Director by Night.’ Anthony Giacchino is also an Oscar winner, having won for the 2021 short subject documentary, ‘Colette.’”
“The Giacchino brothers made movies as kids around their Edgewater Park Township, NJ home. Michael would direct, and Anthony would star along with their neighborhood friends. Michael Giacchino worked side jobs as a teenager to save up to buy film stock. He used an X-Acto knife to make scratches on the film strips in order to make laser and spark special effects. He graduated from the School of Visual Arts in NYC where he studied filmmaking and later held jobs at Universal marketing and Disney publicity.”
“Eventually he segued to composing for videogames, one highlight being the Playstation game of ‘Jurassic Park: The Lost World’ which Steven Spielberg personally hired him on. It was through videogames that J.J. Abrams came to know Giacchino and hired him to compose for his TV series ‘Alias’ and ‘Lost’ as well as big pics ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Star Trek Into Darkness,’ and ‘Mission: Impossible III.’ His next score will be for Taikia Waititi’s sports comedy-drama ‘Next Goal Wins,’ due out later this year.”
Warner Bros Pictures President of Production and Development Jesse Ehrman – who’s overseeing ‘Them!’ on studio’s Burbank, CA lot – remarks, “Michael Giacchino is a unique talent. We’re excited to be working with him and have him at the studio.”
A scene from 1954’s ‘Them!’ Photo courtesy of Turner Classic Movies.
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(L to R) Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Judy Garland, and Jack Haley in 1939’s ‘The Wizard of Oz.’
Though it has been endlessly referenced and riffed upon in the years since its release in 1939, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ as a movie has largely been treated as an untouchable classic in terms of remakes.
Yet in an era where no classic title or respected chunk of intellectual property is safe from studios looking for a recognized name to buff up with a new interpretation, it was only a matter of time before the movie found itself a target.
In fact, word on Warner Bros. (which owns the rights to the original movie) looking to use it as the source material for a new film first broke last year when Nicole Kassell, director of ‘The Woodsman,’ ‘A Little Bit of Heaven’ and several episodes of 2019’s audacious TV version of ‘Watchmen’ was brought aboard to make a new version.
Frank L. Baum‘s original book was published in 1900, spawning 13 more tomes and, of course the musical classic movie. The film told the story of Dorothy (Judy Garland), who is swept away from her mundane, monochrome Kansas homeland to the colorful, magical world of Oz, where she meets a variety of unusual characters.
There’s the absent-minded Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), and Jack Haley as The Tin Man, who is in search of a heart (and some oil to help his rusted joints).
Together, these unlikely companions must prevail against the terrifying Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton), who is looking to keep control of them all. The friends beseech the Wizard (Frank Morgan) for help, but even he might not be quite what he seems…
(L to R) Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross on Kenya Barris’ ‘Black-ish.’
Barris has signed a deal to make a modern re-imagining of the story, though details of what that entails remain at the other end of the Yellow Brick Road for now.
The writer/producer/directors has been splitting his time between screens big and small even before he finished work on ‘Black-ish.’ He’s written and produced movies including ‘Girls Trip,’ ‘Coming 2 America’ and the 2019 ‘Shaft,’ while also creating shows like ‘#BlackAF’ for Netflix.
He’s no stranger to remake territory either, as he wrote and produced Disney+ TV movie ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’ and scripted the ‘White Men Can’t Jump’ remake that is now filming. Next up is ‘Entergalactic,’ co-created with Kid Cudi and inspired by the musician’s new album. It’s described as a combination of animation, music, fashion and art.
Given the sheer number of projects on Barris’ to-do list (which also includes an animated movie inspired by Bob Marley’s music, a film about comedy legend Richard Pryor – who appeared in ‘Oz’ adaptation ‘The Wiz’ – and a feature-length movie about Juneteenth), we’ll have to wait and see whether the Wizard makes it to screens any time soon, but Warners seems to be very interested in getting this one made as soon as possible.
Must be lollipop guild regulations.
(L to R) Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Judy Garland, and Bert Lahr in 1939’s ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images.
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