Oz: The Great And Powerful (2013)

 

Oz the Great and Powerful is an upcoming 2013 American fantasy adventure film directed by Sam Raimi. The film is inspired by L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and is set before the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. The film stars James Franco as Oscar Diggs, otherwise known as "The Wizard of Oz". It also stars Mila Kunis as Theodora, Michelle Williams as Glinda, and Rachel Weisz as Evanora. The film will be released by Walt Disney Pictures in traditional 2D, as well as in the Disney Digital 3D, RealD 3D and IMAX 3D formats.

Synopsis:

When small-time magician Oscar Diggs (James Franco) pulls one flimflam too many, he finds himself hurled into the fantastical Land of Oz where he must somehow transform himself into the great and powerful wizard—and just maybe into a better man as well.

When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful wizard but into a better man as well.  

Additional Notes:

 

Imagines the origins of the Wizard of Oz's wizard, who debuted in author L. Frank Baum's first book "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Baum, who wrote 14 novels between 1900-1920, all set in the fantasyland he so vividly created, never fully portrayed the wizard's background. Oz The Great and Powerful is a cinematic prequel to Baum's books.

The fantasy world of Oz The Great and Powerful was brought to life by Academy Award®–winning production designer Robert Stromberg. In all, Stromberg designed 24 full sets plus several partial sets, bringing the total to around 30. Stromberg created such iconic sets as the famed Yellow Brick Road and Emerald City, all freshly designed and imagined, along with such highly anticipated, new designs as the witch's Throne Room, the Whimsie Woods (where Oz meets Theodora), the Dark Forest, which introduces Glinda the good witch in the story, and China Town, whose inhabitants are made up entirely of porcelain.

James Franco, who plays Oscar Diggs (aka Oz), had to learn magic tricks in order to accurately portray his small-time, circus magician character. He came to set two weeks early so he could work with Las Vegas magician Lance Burton. Working every day, Franco learned tricks involving doves and fire as well as how to pull objects out of hats and how to make things levitate.

There are over 3,000 props used in "Oz The Great and Powerful," with 1400 of them manufactured specifically for the film. These do not include the 5000 coins Prop master Russell Bobbitt had made especially to fill Oz's treasure chest. One side of the coin is stamped with an image of the Yellow Brick Road and on the other side there is an image of author L. Frank Baum.

Cast:

 

James Franco as Oscar Diggs/The Wizard of Oz. Franco had previously worked with Sam Raimi in the original Spider-Man trilogy. 

Mila Kunis as Theodora/The Wicked Witch of the West 

Michelle Williams as Glinda, the Good Witch of the South/Oscar's romantic Kansas counterpart 

Rachel Weisz as Evanora/The Wicked Witch of the East 

Zach Braff as the voice of Finley the Flying Monkey/Frank, Oscar's circus assistant[2] 

Joey King as the voice of China Girl/Young Girl in wheelchair 

Abigail Spencer as Mrs. Hamilton 

Ted Raimi as Skeptic the Tinker Man 

Bruce Campbell as Gore, the Dark Wizard. Campbell is Raimi's most regular collaborator since his first short film It's Murder! in 1977. It is his eleventh appareance in a (short or feature) film directed by Raimi. 

Tony Cox as Knuck 

Tim Holmes as The Strong Man 

Martin Klebba as Nikko

Showing on Cinemas on:
March 08, 2013

 Official Movie Trailer: