They're off to see the Wizard...and also be the Wizard...

Is it just me, or is the Wizard of Oz prequel film sounding better and better? Mila Kunis (Black Swan) is the most recent addition to the cast. According to Variety, Mila Kunis has agreed to the part of Theodora in Oz: The Great and Powerful. The film, set up as a prequel to the Wizard of Oz books and movies that the world is familiar with, chronicles the story of the snake-oil salesman caught in a Kansas tornado who becomes the Wizard of Oz himself. James Franco is set to play the part of the Wizard; Theodora will be the sister of Glinda, the good witch. After the Wizard rejects her advances Theodora is turned to the dark side, to become the Wicked Witch herself.

The Oz stories have been through a lot of revisions. The initial series of children's books by L. Frank Baum introduced the Land of Oz in 1900; Baum went on to continue the series through 13 sequels. There was a popular stage version in 1902, and of course the iconic Wizard of Oz movie from 1939, starring Judy Garland as Dorothy. And let's not forget The Wiz, the 1978 disco-themed revamp of the original Wizard movie, or 1985's Return to Oz starring Fairuza Balk.

While the books have remained popular throughout the world and the 1939 movie is a classic, there has been a recent resurgence in Oz that can be traced to Gregory Maguire's bestselling book Wicked. Wicked took the land of Oz during Dorothy's initial visit and turned it on its head, telling the story from the Wicked Witch of the West's point of view. This was then translated into a massively successful Broadway stage production (in which there were very few serious accidents. Spider-Man, we're looking at you.) Even the Syfy channel got in on the action, putting Zooey Deschanel in the lead role in a parallel-universe reinterpretation of the land of Oz called Tin Man. Upcoming interpretations abound: in the Witches of Oz, due out this year, the Wicked Witch of the West lands in Times Square (like in Enchanted?); then there is a new animated version (2011), the Drew Barrymore-directed Surrender Dorothy (2011); the animated musical Dorothy of Oz (2012) starring Glee's Lea Michele; another film called Oz: Return to the Emerald City (2012); and both a tv mini-series and a feature film based on the musical Wicked.

All of these revamps and reinterpretations of the original Wizard stories appeal, if only through their ability to show us characters that have become part of the cultural framework in a new light. In that sense, Oz: The Great and Powerful is shaping up to be a great and powerful film. With Sam Raimi (the Spider-Man and Evil Dead trilogies) at the helm, reunited with the always-pleasing-except-maybe-at-the-Oscars James Franco, and now Mila Kunis, the film has potential for real greatness.

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