Muppet Wizard of Oz to film in September

[DanDanStrawberry]

This time it's Hillary Duff... ::

SHE WOULD KILL EVERYTHING. I ABSOLUTELY DETEST HER! IF THEY SIGN HER UP I'LL BE SICK!

 

[DanDanStrawberry]

OK, here's an update I found!
It states Queen Latifa, Quinten Tarantino and -- geez I forget whose playing Dorothy since it's a singer I'm not familiar with!-- Ashthia (sp??)

Wow! Queen Latifah! I LOVE HER! And I love the Muppets! THIS RULES!!!

 

[lowercasegods]

I actually love Return to OZ, I saw it when I was like 10 or something and it scared the *%*&! Out of me. It is probably the best look we have ever had at Baum’s OZ, and I love it. I just wish the story would have been a little bit better/ stronger. The gnome king would really never quest to be human; he would loose all his powers and his underground Kingdome.

As many times as he has plotted to capture the Emerald city in the Baum and Thompson books I always wondered what he would do with the city once he got it. Considering that as a gnome he hated being above ground and in the bright sunshine.

I really regret not being as steeped in Oz mythology as I would like to be. When I was around 10, I got my hands on an original print copy of "The Land of Oz". That book rocked my world. I actually read it before "The Wizard of Oz", so "Land" basically shaped my opinion of Baum's work, which, needless to say, was nothing short of worship. However, I never got around to reading any of the subsequent books, so my knowledge of Baum's Oz ends with "Land". I still feel that Tip was a better character than Dorothy, as well as the rest of land's characters being superior to the original quartet. However, my opinion is based on only one book, so it's hardly an educated opinion. I also think that, based on what little I know of the character, that the Gnome King is a very interesting character. Also, Mombi is the best witch in Oz, regardless of her powers in comparison to the others. She's the most interesting, at least. I read "Wicked" when it first came out (years before the Musical), and was kind of disappointed. I realized it was going to try and put Oz in a reality-based historical context, but I guess I'd hoped it would still have some of the heart of Oz. In my view, it didn't. And lastly, if you want to see a truly sucky interpretation of Oz, pick up any copy of Arrow Comics' Oz books. Baum would not approve.

 

[The Good Doctor]

I really regret not being as steeped in Oz mythology as I would like to be.... I still feel that Tip was a better character than Dorothy, as well as the rest of land's characters being superior to the original quartet. However, my opinion is based on only one book, so it's hardly an educated opinion....I read "Wicked" when it first came out (years before the Musical), and was kind of disappointed. I realized it was going to try and put Oz in a reality-based historical context, but I guess I'd hoped it would still have some of the heart of Oz. In my view, it didn't. And lastly, if you want to see a truly sucky interpretation of Oz, pick up any copy of Arrow Comics' Oz books. Baum would not approve.

Wicked confused me, mostly because of the way it was written. I do not know if it was an attempt at an old english style of writing or what, but I constantly had to read and re-read chapters to find out what the heck was happening. The Clock of the Time Dragon, and that strange book the Wizard wanted to get from the Witch of the West were too strange for me to understand. Perhaps I am just slow, but I did not get it, and really did not like the fact that the Wizard is set up to be a really a bad guy.

As for the rest of the Baum OZ books they are great, the first 4 are really good. My personal favorite is The Magic of OZ which if you do not read a few of the earlier books it may be a little confusing when they refrence the Gnome King. Also if you really loved Land of OZ check out the 1985 film Return to OZ by Disney, Jim Henson provided the puppetry and it is a truly great look at OZ, the story is weak, but the effects make up for it.

 

[mb22]

more casting

From hollywoodreporter.com:

Tambor, Grier head to 'Oz'

Jeffrey Tambor and David Alan Grier have joined the cast of stars in ABC's original movie tentatively titled "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz." Additionally, Grier has landed a role in Nora Ephron's feature adaptation of the TV series "Bewitched." In "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz," a Muppet take on the classic L. Frank Baum novel, Tambor and Grier will co-star alongside Ashanti, Queen Latifah, Quentin Tarantino and the Muppet gang.


According to Sci Fi Wire (which must have accessed the full article) Grier will be Uncle Henry and Tambor, the Wizard.

 

[CarburetorJane]

I love Jeffery Tambor, and see him as an obvious choice for the Wizard, but I'm a bit disappointed Quentin won't be the Wizard, then. I am absolutely in Love with Tarintino and a part of me hopes Tambor won't be the wizard, but it seems unlikely he'll be dropped off, i think, since he did MFS as well... But where the heck does this leave Quentin? He would have made a great Wizard. A very different wizard as well, I think, then the cowardly older men, the Wizard tends to be....

But even more than Tambor and tarintino, I think Brian Henson would have made the best Wizard of all.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I think Frank Oz would have made the best wizard of all. That's only my opinion!

I saw Ashanti on Punk'd last night, and she has a FOUL mouth!! If for the same reason they knocked Snoop Dogg out of the VMX movie, they should drop her from this project--OR! Give us back the cut footage of Snoop Dogg and the EM Band!!

I've never been able to connect with Quentin Tarintino at all, so I'm not big on him anyhow, sorry.

 

[The Good Doctor]

Behaving Badly in OZ

....I saw Ashanti on Punk'd last night, and she has a FOUL mouth!! If for the same reason they knocked Snoop Dogg out of the VMX movie, they should drop her from this project....

Well I am shocked and surprised, it seems you all have been able to accept the Muppets behaving badly. When I have brought up such evidence to the decline of Muppet morals I have been shot down by many of you. Seemingly many of you feel that that Muppets have had to do what sells and produce what audience want in order to stray in business, no matter what the costs are.

So why then are you surprised that they would chose a girl to play Dorothy with a potty mouth? After all it is only a matter of time before the Muppets begin using corse language and cussing. Heck they already use toilet humor, and pick there nose so this seems to be a natural progression.

I agree with Frank OZ as the wizard, I think that would be cool. Brian Henson would also be cool, or even if Kermit himself played the part.

 

[CarburetorJane]

Kermit as the Wizard would have been neat, if they could have gotten Scooter as the Scarecrow like in that skit in The Muppet Show...

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Well I am shocked and surprised, it seems you all have been able to accept the Muppets behaving badly. When I have brought up such evidence to the decline of Muppet morals I have been shot down by many of you. Seemingly many of you feel that that Muppets have had to do what sells and produce what audience want in order to stray in business, no matter what the costs are.

So why then are you surprised that they would chose a girl to play Dorothy with a potty mouth? After all it is only a matter of time before the Muppets begin using corse language and cussing. Heck they already use toilet humor, and pick there nose so this seems to be a natural progression.

Since the beginning, Muppets have always had an adult twist to their humor, and even the advertisement that Jim Henson filmed for The Muppet Show to send to CBS (before Lord Lew Grade produced TMS), the end of the commercial was, "What the **** was that all about?" and it was Kermit saying so. Janice has always said something out of the ordinary of the Muppets, but she's an adult character (forget how old she's supposed to be). And the whole crew of the Muppets cussed when Mac Davis was on the show singing "It's hard to be humble," and that went on national syndicated TV, even when it was shown on Odessey a few years ago. So, bad language has ALWAYS been there.

My point was, Ashanti is to play Dorothy in the movie, and she obviously won't be cussing in the movie, but she cussed in the Mature Audience program Punk'd. Snoop Dogg didn't cuss in VMX, but he was doing stuff outside of the Muppets film and they cut his scene from the movie because of it.

If they are going to let Ashanti, who has been seen cussing in programming which isn't Muppet related, then they should let us have back the cut scene of Snoop Dogg since he didn't cuss in the film with The Muppets regardless what he did outside of that. There was some new EM Band footage there that's gone now. I want it back to see Janice and Dr. Teeth in action again.

Outside of the once-in-a-while "I gotta pee!" or nose picking scenes, they aren't doing anything differently now than what was done long ago with Janice saying "I was walking on the beach naked and..." or "Still the management is cheerful though the whole joint's gone to ****." Same stuff, different smell--just depends on angles of view and opinions, I suppose. This is all only just my opinion. Nobody's 100% right.