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Kenya Barris Is Off to See the (Reimagined) Wizard of Oz
‘Black-ish’ creator Kenya Barris is reportedly set to write and direct a “modern reimagining” of ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ the 1939 musical movie, for Warner Bros.

Kenya Barris Is Off to See the (Reimagined) Wizard of Oz

Kenya Barris is hitting the road … the yellow-brick one, anyway. Per Deadline, Warner Bros. has selected the Black-ish creator to be the writer-director of a “modern reimagining” of the 1939 musical movie The Wizard of Oz. Barris’s production company, Khalabo Ink Society, is set to produce. But what exactly can we expect from this new version of Dorothy’s story? Is “modern” code for racially perse? Or will the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion be transformed into a pack of Gen-Z influencers vlogging a trip to the Emerald City? We don’t know because no plot details have been released yet. Of course, The Wizard of Oz was itself adapted from the children’s fantasy novel by L. Frank Baum. Other adaptations include movies such as The Wiz and Oz the Great and Powerful, Broadway and West End musicals, an anime series, and even a rendition by the Muppets. Given the cultural renown of this story, it seems reasonable to assume we’ll recognize some characters and events in Barris’s upcoming version even if he takes a lot of creative liberties. Personally, we feel like no adaptation would be complete without the Wicked Witch of the East, bro. You’re gonna look at us and tell us that we’re wrong?

Sources

Deadline

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