Do We Really Need Another “Wizard of Oz”?

Well… if Zooey Deschanel is Dorothy… why not?!

I’m sure this trailer is going to inspire some moaning and groaning among Oz enthusiasts. After all, there are quite a few adaptations out there already, and few have been built to last.

But I don’t know why people tend to complain when we’re treated to multiple cinematic versions of a single story. Sure… when a remake is done poorly, criticism is appropriate. But nobody complains when the stage comes alive with new and bold interpretations of Shakespeare every year. I’d like to see a hundred big screen versions of Seven Samurai, or Citizen Kane, or Beowulf, so long as they’re imaginative and well-crafted. All the better to test the resilience of the source material, and to dazzle us with creativity, showing up the hacks and introducing an occasional visionary!

If you could remake a movie, rising to the challenge of remaking a great film or trying to make something good out of a bad one, which would you choose? Who would you cast? Who would you like to see direct?

I do hope I see another ambitious version of The Lord of the Rings in my lifetime.