You see it was previously reported that Robert Downey Jr. would be headlining the flick for Raimi as The Wizard but it seems that is no longer the case. According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision blog Downey has decided to drop out of the project and Disney is currently in talks with none other than Johnny Depp to take his place. How about that for a swap?!
For reasons unknown Downey Jr. seems to be clearing up his schedule for 2011. And mind you Depp is far from a sure thing. The actor’s busy 2011 schedule may create problems for his signing on to OZ but word has it Disney might be willing to push back THE LONE RANGER in favor of OZ, that way Depp and company can get started on OZ as soon as he’s finished with DARK SHADOWS. OZ is a major priority for the studio right now so expect them to figure something out.
OZ, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL tells the story of a circus wrangler who is transported via tornado to the mysterious land of Oz, where he is mistaken for an all-knowing Wizard.
Disney has already got a unit production manager working on creating the world of OZ with a start date being eyed for the second half of the year. We’ll of course be keeping our eyes and ears on this one so be sure to check back for updates soon!