Some movies should be left alone.
“Casablanca.” “Citizen Kane.” Even “Back to the Future.” Hollywood studios may have remake mania, but even film executives know there are some titles that shouldn’t be touched.
For many movie fans, “The Wizard of Oz” falls into that category. Yes, we’ve had a musical spin on the tale (1978’s “The Wiz”) and various prequels and spinoffs (1985’s “Return to Oz,” 2013’s “Oz the Great and Powerful”).
The original remains so magical, so remarkable, that a remake seems a fool’s errand. It even just debuted at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
Tell that to Kenya Barris. The “Black-ish” creator announced he was reimagining the 1939 film classic for a new audience in 2022.
The completed screenplay, according to a January 2024 Variety article, finds Dorothy living in an apartment complex in Inglewood, Calif. and features a protagonist of color.
So where are the updates?
Barris’ IMDB page has no listing for a “Wizard of Oz” film. We haven’t heard any official news about the project in more than a year.
No casting announcements. No possible release dates..
Barris initially promised plenty of Identiy Politcs in the new version. The story will be set in a black neighborhood, and he told the press the film would feature LGBTQ+ representation.
“Now we’re going to turn a mirror on where we’re at right now and take disparate characters from the LGBTQ community, from different cultural communities and socioeconomic communities, and tell a story that reflects the world. I think this is the best time to do that.”
He made those comments in 2022.
Today, Hollywood is backpedaling furiously on all things woke. Disney just ditched a Colin Kaepernick docuseries by Oscar-winner Spike Lee. The Mouse House famously scuttled a trans storyline in its “Win or Lose” PIxar series.
Woke late-night host Stephen Colbert got a pink slip from his CBS bosses earlier this year.
A saucy jeans ad by “It” actress Sydney Sweeney proved a smash for American Eagle, and the starlet felt no need to apologize for the ad or her “good genes.”
And, of course, the most politically incorrect politician of our age is back in the White House
It’s a very different cultural moment, and a “Wizard of Oz” reimagining suddenly feels so very 2022. Does that explain the lack of updates?