Oz the Great and Powerful promises to be an artistically charged addition to the world of Oz. Based on the original Oz series by L. Frank Baum, the film is directed by Sam Raimi of Spiderman and Evil Dead fame. Raimi’s look into the world of Oz features slick production and a star-studded cast.
Despite the polished look of the film, Raimi discussed how its influence came directly from older sources.
“I drew it all from the great author L. Frank Baum, his vision of Oz,” Raimi said in a conference call with several university newspapers.
“I was also inspired by the illustrator, [W.W. Denslow]. He was the original, the original illustrator of the L. Frank Baum books. So a lot of inspiration was taken from — from his drawings. But I was also inspired by the great classic movie, Wizard of Oz, of course, who would not be inspired by that?”
Raimi also talked about his casting choices, many of which were already celebrities.
“I wasn’t looking for necessarily the very best actor or actress in the world. I was looking for that actor or actress that had the qualities of the character they’re going to portray.”
“And I guess that’s the essence of the casting process. And, I guess, the old saying is, you want to find the right person for the role.”
The leading role is played by James Franco, who also answered questions during the conference. Similar to Raimi, Franco took inspiration from the original Oz books.
“They were some of the first books that I read on my own for pleasure,” Franco said.
Franco, who is not known for taking roles in family-friendly movies, mentioned his unique form of preparation for the movie.
“I had to be able to carry myself as a magician,” Franco said.
“They hired one of the best magicians in Las Vegas, Lance Burton, to come to Detroit, and . . . I was fortunate enough to have private lessons with him.”
Franco went on to explain the difference between the character of Oz and previous protagonist of the series, Dorothy.
“My character was, instead, a kind of con man that was stumbling through Oz. He’s pretending to be something he’s not, he gets into a lot of awkward situations that could be played for comedy,” Franco said.
“And I thought that comedic edge would help distinguish this version of Oz from other versions.”
Raimi and Franco have worked together before on the Spiderman series, which has established a strong bond between the two.
“I had a great time all the way through, mainly because Sam Raimi was directing and, and he’s just the most fun director to work with,” Franco said.
Overall, Raimi promises to deliver an emotional film.
“I’d like [the audience] to feel, and ideally I’d like them to feel uplifted.”
