Long rumored for the project, it now appears confirmed that director Sam Raimi — he of Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, Spider-Man and Drag Me To Hell — is on board to take the reins on Oz, The Great And Powerful, the Walt Disney Company's big budget prequel to the original Wizard of Oz tale.
Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. is reportedly attached to headline the prequel as the titular Wizard, originally a circus wrangler who finds himself and his hot air balloon transported to the wonderful world of Oz during a terrible tornado. There, he's mistaken for an all-powerful wizard. Things could be worse, one imagines.
Word broke late last night that Raimi was "in early talks" with Disney to direct the project, with Deadline Hollywood describing the news as a finalized deal this morning. Deadline also states that Robert Downey Jr. will star in the film. It's probably best to wait until all the i's and t's are dotted and crossed, but barring some sort of negotiation meltdown, it appears that Raimi and RDJ are the men behind the curtain for Oz.