by Brendan Bettinger Posted: May 26th, 2011 at 7:34 pm
Zach Braff is in final talks to join Oz: The Great and Powerful, Disney’s re-imagining of/prequel to The Wizard of Oz. James Franco stars as “a charismatic circus magician who is treated as a powerful wizard after his balloon blows off course into Oz and the townsfolk want him to eradicate a Wicked Witch and bring peace.” According to Deadline, Braff will play Frank, the wizard’s loyal but under-appreciated assistant. Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, and Rachel Weisz play three witches. The 3D production begins begin this July in Michigan under the direction of Sam Raimi. Oz: The Great and Powerful is scheduled for release on March 8, 2013.
The Scrubs fans out there may remember Braff directed “My Way Home,” the series’ 100th episode and homage to The Wizard of Oz. Watch a clip from the episode after the break. http://collider.com/zach-braff-oz-the-great-and-powerful/93250/
Alex Proyas to Produce Indie Assassin Film FUTURE PERFECT; Shane Abbess to Direct
by Jason Barr Posted: May 26th, 2011
Director Alex Proyas (The Crow) has signed on to produce an independent assassin project entitled Future Perfect. Proyas will oversee the project for director Shane Abbess (Gabriel) according to 24 Frames which cites the film as being in a similar vein as Joe Wright’s Hanna. Future Perfect was written by Brian McGreevy and Lee Shipman, the same scribes behind the Zorro reboot, Zorro Reborn. While additional plot details on the project are sparse, the report claims that the script involves two eugenically created assassins, one an older man and the other a young girl, who are on the run from an unspecified pursuer (the same top-secret government agency that funded their creation, perhaps?).
In addition to Future Perfect, Proyas also has an adaptation of Milton’s Paradise Lost and Dracula: Year Zero currently hanging out in development. There is no word on how Perfect‘s Australian-based production will affect Proyas’ work on each of those projects, a notion that may be worthy of concern given his “godfather” role on this latest project. As for Abbess, although 2007′s Gabriel is his only directorial effort to date, at one point the filmmaker was attached to helm Duncan Jones’ Source Code (for which he received a “Thanks” credit in the film). http://collider.com/alex-proyas-future-perfect-shane-abbess/93231/
Casting Call: John Cho Joins TOTAL RECALL, Colin Hanks Boards MY MOTHER’S CURSE, Elijah Wood in CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER
by Adam Chitwood Posted: May 26th, 2011 at 6:12 pm
Additionally, Colin Hanks has signed on for the Paramount comedy My Mother’s Curse. The film stars Seth Rogen, Barbara Streisand and Chuck star Yvonne Strahovski. The story centers on an inventor (Rogen) who invites his mother along for a cross-country trip while he attempts to sell his new product and connect with a long lost love. THR reports that Hanks will play the husband of Strahovski, Rogen’s high school sweetheart. Anne Fletcher (The Proposal) will direct from a script by Dan Fogelman (Tangled). Hit the jump for the casting news of Elijah Wood in Celeste and Jesse Forever. http://collider.com/john-cho-total-recall-colin-hanks-my-mothers-curse/93234/
