San Diego Comic-Con 2012 wrapped up last week, and we were there! Many movie studios had a huge presence, and were presenting tons of new films to audiences in hopes of getting early buzz generated. Fans lined up, dressed up and nerded out over their favorite actors, directors and characters. We had the chance to sit in with a few of the press conferences during the Con, and geek out with all the information coming out.
Oz the Great and Powerful
Funny how things turn out, and come full circle. After the success of the animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Disney set out to make an animated adaptation of the first book of L.Frank Baum’s Oz series. That was all put to a halt when the rights to the book were sold, and eventually made into a film by MGM. What Disney did purchase were the rights to the remaining 12 books, for use at a later time. That use only came about in the poorly received, and performing, Return to Oz released in 1985. The movie was set up, and believed to be a sequel to the original musical.
Flash forward some 30 years later, and Disney finally has the balloon off the ground. The movie will follow Oscar Diggs, a circus magician with a very dubious way of doing things ad reputation. You know the story, while performing acrobatic feats of fancy in a balloon, he is whisked away to the magical land of Oz. There he is seen as a great and powerful magician and thrust into power. However, the land’s three witches are on to his schemes, and a few of them try to derail his new found fortune.
Check out the trailer for the new film due out next year:
httpvh://youtu.be/_1NGnVLDPog
Director Sam Raimi finds himself in a very curious position. Raimi’s first film was a horror film with friend Bruce Campbell. Ever hear of Evil Dead? Yeah…Sam Raimi then moved on to the action adventure, Spider Man and catapulted the wall crawler from the comics to the big screen. Raimi returned to horror with (my beloved) Drag Me To Hell. So, for Raimi to have the reigns of a family movie that Disney hopes becomes a classic, seems a bit of a stretch. Never to fear, Sam has enlisted his normal tricks with the camera and his usual army of darkn….errr….supporters. His brother Ted always has a role in his films, as does friend Bruce Campbell. Honestly, that’s enough for admission right there.
Check out the press conference we were able to sit in on for Oz the Great and Powerful, heading to theaters next year.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg-04le3Gy8
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