L. Frank Baum biopic is in the works
Will L. Frank Baum, the author behind 鈥淭he Wizard of Oz,鈥� be the subject of a biopic?
According to the , New Line Cinema recently picked up a script by Josh Golden, which is currently titled 鈥淩oad to Oz.鈥� Beau Flynn, who produced such movies as the 2014 film 鈥淗ercules鈥� and the 2013 movie 鈥淗ansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters,鈥� is in board as a producer for the film. Other producers on the movie include Michael Mislove and Nellie Bellflower, both of whom Golden worked with on the script, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Bellflower was a producer for another children鈥檚 author biopic, the 2004 film 鈥淔inding Neverland,鈥� which starred actor Johnny Depp as 鈥淧eter Pan鈥� writer J.M. Barrie.
Baum鈥檚 most famous work, 鈥淭he Wonderful Wizard of Oz,鈥� was followed by various other 鈥淥z鈥� books, including 鈥淥zma of Oz鈥� and 鈥淭he Emerald City of Oz.鈥� He was also behind such works as the novel 鈥淭he Magical Monarch of Mo鈥� and 鈥淪ky Island.鈥�
鈥淥z鈥� also reportedly has a place among the books that were celebrated last week as part of Banned Books Week 鈥� the novel apparently ran afoul of the director of the Detroit Public Library, Ralph Ulveling, in 1957. According to an article that appeared in the , 鈥淥z鈥� was banned in city libraries because 鈥渢here is nothing uplifting or elevating about the series," Ulveling said. "[They have] no value.鈥�
The movie based on 鈥淭he Wonderful Wizard of Oz,鈥� which was released in 1939, is of course still a film classic. The story was adapted as another musical, 鈥淭he Wiz,鈥� in 1978 in a film version that starred Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. And in 2013, a prequel to 鈥淥z,鈥� centering on the famous Wizard and titled 鈥淥z the Great and Powerful,鈥� was released. It starred James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Michelle Williams. 鈥淧owerful鈥� received less-than-positive reviews (it currently holds a score of 44 out of 100 on the review aggregator website ) but did well at the box office, earning more than $234 million domestically, according to the website .
