Wizard of Oz prequel -> $200M budget!

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Has no one else ever read the OZ series? They're a classic. There's 14 fricken stories in the series and they're going to do a prequel when the wizard of OZ is the first fricken story? WTF is the matter with Hollywood?

 

[JEDI]

Has no one else ever read the OZ series? They're a classic. There's 14 fricken stories in the series and they're going to do a prequel when the wizard of OZ is the first fricken story? WTF is the matter with Hollywood?

they already tried Return to Oz in 1985. it sucked.

i like the alternative Oz created this Century where the Tin Man is a former Sherriff.
get it? Tin = Badge

but cant think of the title right now...

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

they already tried Return to Oz in 1985. it sucked.

i like the alternative Oz created this Century where the Tin Man is a former Sherriff.
get it? Tin = Badge

but cant think of the title right now...

"Return to OZ" isn't one of the 14 stories. Maybe why it sucked?
I think the show you're thinking about was called Tin Man.

 

[Cheesemoo]

So they are coming out with an animated OZ as well?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0884726/

Patrick Stewart FTW!

 

[JTsyo]

Is there a musical about Oz before Dorothy? Wicked, I believe.

 

[Ns1]

Is there a musical about Oz before Dorothy? Wicked, I believe.

It's not a prequel. Just a different look at the story. Great musical btw

 

[SphinxnihpS]

Anyone feel like giving me a quick rundown on how Oz could be turned in to a prequel? I always just assumed there was nothing else to the story.

It's a set of books by L. Frank Baum. The Wizard however is the first book, but subsequent books covered past events.


The film you are all so familiar with was actually the sixth Oz film.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Also Mila Kunis.

Can't go wrong there. mmmmmmm

 

[pelov]

Anyone feel like giving me a quick rundown on how Oz could be turned in to a prequel? I always just assumed there was nothing else to the story.

It's going to be her in a bath tub watching a hurricane take her puppy away.

I don't know how the hell they're planning to spin this one. I don't see many people lining up to see such a movie.

 

[Ns1]

It's going to be her in a bath tub watching a hurricane take her puppy away.

I don't know how the hell they're planning to spin this one. I don't see many people lining up to see such a movie.

I only copy/pasted the plot in post #8...

"When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot -- fame and fortune are his for the taking -- that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity -- and even a bit of wizardry -- Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well."

 

[pelov]

Sign here please

________________

 

[rayfieldclement]

Anyone feel like giving me a quick rundown on how Oz could be turned in to a prequel? I always just assumed there was nothing else to the story.

There are 12-14 different Oz books written by L. Frank Baum.


Here is a link to the other books. I don't see how they can make a prequel...a sequel yes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Oz_books

 

[Wreckem]

HOLY SHIT. They didn't learn with John Carter did they?


200m is not the new 100m though - many movies have been scrapped because their budgets got bloated (lone ranger, dark tower, etc)

The Lone Ranger wasn't scrapped. Its been delayed extensively but not scrapped. The movie was actually filmed this past Spring. Disney announced its July 3 2013 North American release back in May. Production costs were estimated at $215million.

 

[rayfieldclement]

The Lone Ranger wasn't scrapped. Its been delayed extensively but not scrapped. The movie was actually filmed this past Spring. Disney announced its July 3 2013 North American release back in May. Production costs were estimated at $215million.

$215M! It is about two men on horses not two men vs space aliens! LOL😀

 

[Wreckem]

$215M! It is about two men on horses not two men vs space aliens! LOL😀

When they delayed it after Cowboys and Aliens flopped it was going to have a $250+million budget. They reworked the budget but it is still heavy on CGI. They knocked $35million off the "budget" by deferring pay to certain individuals(Depp, Gore, Bruckheimer) until Disney recouped its money and large tax incentives when they played states off of each other. They did also have to cut a few expensive scenes they were planning on.

The vision they have for the Lone Ranger isn't what most people in this thread are thinking. There is a lot of supernatural Indian lore crap in it. And that is why they spent $$$$ on CGI. People also need to realize, while the title is The Lone Ranger, the movie is focused on Tonto and the above supernatural/Indian lore crap.

 

[Childs]

$215M! It is about two men on horses not two men vs space aliens! LOL😀

No kidding. It shouldn't really cost that much more than a movie like the recent Zorro films.

 

[JEDI]

When they delayed it after Cowboys and Aliens flopped it was going to have a $250+million budget. They reworked the budget but it is still heavy on CGI. They knocked $35million off the "budget" by deferring pay to certain individuals(Depp, Gore, Bruckheimer) until Disney recouped its money and large tax incentives when they played states off of each other. They did also have to cut a few expensive scenes they were planning on.

The vision they have for the Lone Ranger isn't what most people in this thread are thinking. There is a lot of supernatural Indian lore crap in it. And that is why they spent $$$$ on CGI. People also need to realize, while the title is The Lone Ranger, the movie is focused on Tonto and the above supernatural/Indian lore crap.

wtf!? not about the white man w/silver bullets?
lol.. disney = new pt barnum

 

[Chiropteran]

I'd love to see a reboot of the wizard of oz done right. The book is much darker than the silly musical- lots of killing, strange overtones, long periods of failure before Dorthy finally figures out the secret to killing the witch.

It would make for an amazing darren aronofsky movie. Some eerie soundtrack by clint mansell, rated R with all the blood and violence in full glory.

Actually come to think of it wizard of oz and requiem for a dream are pretty similar stories.

 

[Wreckem]

wtf!? not about the white man w/silver bullets?
lol.. disney = new pt barnum

Oh hes in there and hes co-lead but the movie is more about exploring the Tonto character.

 

[Ns1]

The Lone Ranger wasn't scrapped. Its been delayed extensively but not scrapped. The movie was actually filmed this past Spring. Disney announced its July 3 2013 North American release back in May. Production costs were estimated at $215million.

It was scrapped at the original budget, sorry, my mistake 😉

EXCLUSIVE: In a stunning development, Disney has shut down production on The Lone Ranger, the Gore Verbinski-directed period Western that was to star Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as the title character. Jerry Bruckheimer is the producer and the script is by Justin Haythe. I’m told this all just happened, and Disney pulled the plug because of the budget. I’ve heard the filmmakers were trying to reduce the film’s cost from $250 million (some even say $275 million) down to $232 million. But it wasn’t the $200 million that Disney wanted to spend. And between Depp, Bruckheimer, and Verbinski, the gross outlay on the film is substantial.

which then led to

BREAKING: Disney has confirmed that the Gore Verbinski-directed Johnny Depp-starrer The Lone Ranger has come back on track, with the studio setting the film for a May 31, 2013 release. As Deadline revealed yesterday, the film will begin production February 6. The film was originally supposed to get underway this fall for a December 21, 2012 release, but all that changed when Disney shocked Hollywood by unplugging the film over fears that its budget could reach $275 million. Deadline revealed that news exclusively on August 12. It was a surprising move, considering that Bruckheimer is a cornerstone producer and Depp has starred in the studio’s highest-grossing films, with both of them teaming with Verbinski on the first three installments of The Pirates Of The Caribbean.

Verbinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Depp rose to the challenge, though, even though it was a painful one. They reworked their compensation deals and figured out ways to save money in the production budget. They brought the budget down to a figure that is around $215 million, I’m told. Taking responsibility to bring the film in for that price was the only way that the studio was going to make the film. Considering that most Westerns don’t travel overseas as well as some other genres (Cowboys & Aliens has proven to be an offshore disappointment), The Lone Ranger is still a big bet by a studio that is backing John Carter, a film that costs more than $250 million, and Oz The Great And Powerful, which hovers at around $200 million. At least now, Disney’s risk on The Lone Ranger has been contained. Read More »

Point is, big budget movies are never a guaranteed thing.

Here's another 2:

‘Arthur & Lancelot’ In Warner Bros Budget Crisis: Projected $130M Cost Too High

I’ve heard that what started as a $90 million (other sources said Warners would make it for $110 million) contemporary style re-imagining of the Sword And The Stone tale has a budget the studio fears could reach $130 million. The studio feels that is just too much for a movie with two unproven leads. After the year’s wild box office swings and last weekend’s paltry performance, who can blame Warner Bros for being cautious?

EXCLUSIVE: Legendary Pictures has halted plans to begin production early next year on Paradise Lost, the epic-sized Alex Proyas-directed film about the battle between good and evil that is inspired by the John Milton poem. Bradley Cooper had been set to play Lucifer, Benjamin Walker to play the archangel Michael, and Diego Boneta playing Adam and Camilla Belle Eve, with a host of other actors lined up for the action epic. I’m told that the film isn’t scrapped; rather, Legendary’s Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and producer Vincent Newman will continue developing it to rework a budget that had passed the $120 million mark by 10% or 15%. The picture has crewed up for an Australia shoot and the talent and below the line is learning about the postponement right now. Films including Moneyball and American Gangster had their plugs pulled within a month of production and bounced back, but it is always a shock when a large film has its start date scratched so close to production, even if it is temporary.

I’m told by insiders that this process is being likened to The Lone Ranger, which Disney had originally scheduled to begin production last fall, until Deadline revealed last August that it had been unplugged abruptly, with Disney threatening to scrap it because the studio feared the budget would turn into a runaway train and could sail past $250 million. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski labored to bring down those costs through changes in the script and they and Johnny Depp made adjustments in their deals to bring the film down to around $215 million. In the case of Paradise Lost, there is so much green screen work and VFX that the budget looked to be getting unwieldy. They will try to rework those costs and possibly get the film into production by the late spring or early summer. Awaiting a response from Legendary Pictures, but several sources have confirmed the postponement.

 

[BladeVenom]

I think an Oz prequel might succeed. A new Lone Ranger movie with Johnny Depp as Tonto sounds like a worse idea than Dark Shadows.

 

[Childs]

I think an Oz prequel might succeed. A new Lone Ranger movie with Johnny Depp as Tonto sounds like a worse idea than Dark Shadows.

Pirates of the Caribbean sounded like a bad idea as well. You never know unless you make it.

 

[Wreckem]

It was scrapped at the original budget, sorry, my mistake 😉



which then led to

In the end, if the movie is successful, the overall expenditure is going to be way higher than the original budget. The principle people involved agreed to defer their compensation until Disney recoups their money. They will be getting paid way more on the back end than if they were paid up front.

Basically what I am saying is if you include the deferred payments, the movies total cost will be higher than the original estimates. Disney mainly just shifted numbers around to minimize risk if it flopped.

 

[Ns1]

Basically what I am saying is if you include the deferred payments, the movies total cost will be higher than the original estimates.

Maybe maybe not. Won't know until movie hits.

That's how deferred payments work right? 😀

If it opens up like John Carter, nobody's gonna get paid.

 

[Wreckem]

Maybe maybe not. Won't know until movie hits.

That's how deferred payments work right? 😀

If it opens up like John Carter, nobody's gonna get paid.

IIRC the only people defering compensation are Gore, Bruckhiemer, and Depp. Its just the bigger people. And they are gambling. If it flops, they still have millions and millions in the bank. If its successful, they will have a hell of a lot more.

I doubt its going to be a flop like John Carter. As crazy as their vision sounds, its nothing like the John Carter situation. The people involed in Lone Ranger have been around the block with blockbusters. They done plenty of live action before. They've been pretty successful at it. They also arent using a generic sci-fi story thats been played out a hundred times before. Plus they aren't using no names.

As for the Oz prequel. They totally mis-cast Franco in it. Should have gone with someone else. As for knocking the story. They can come up with anything. The Wicked series(its 4 books)is completely different than the original works. Its a re imagination of the Oz series of books. They could legitimately make a prequel using the same setting, just like Wicked has made an alternate Oz.

With a movie adaptation of the Wicked Series coming as soon as 2014, Disney obviously had high hopes to cash in before that. But since it has a March release, they don't appear all that confident in it, or at least not confident enough to put it in Summer Blockbuster season. Although it will be debuting during the start of spring break season.