In a world where prequels, sequels, and reboots are king, it's amazing that it took Hollywood this long to revisit the classic world of the Wizard of Oz. In director Sam Raimi's upcoming Oz the Great and Powerful, James Franco will play a man named Oscar Diggs, who gets swept away by a tornado in Kansas and lands in the mysterious world of Oz. Once there, he goes on a journey to establish himself as the Wizard of Oz that we all remember from the original.
This debut trailer for the movie starts off pretty typically with Raimi paying homage to the black and white look of the original. But once we're introduced to Oz itself, everything changes. The classic city is vibrant and full of life with some impressive special effects and design choices. Throughout this short trailer, we see classic Oz staples like the yellow brick road, some flying monkeys, and a few witches along the way. For classic movie buffs, it's hard not to get nostalgic during these parts.
Unfortunately we really don't see many characters or hear much dialogue during this footage. It simply serves to set the stage for the movie and gives us a look at the art style that Raimi went with. So far, though, Oz the Great and Powerful looks much better than a Wizard of Oz prequel has any right to be.
Oz the Great and Powerful will hit theaters on March 8, 2013.
