There's a veritable storm of Wizard of Oz-inspired movies in the works right now, from Sam Raimi's prequel Oz: Great and Powerful to an adaptation of the hit musical Wicked to the animated film Dorothy of Oz, which should be in theaters soon. With all of that it's hard to believe there's room for one more Oz movie, but not only is Vanguard Films giving it a shot, they may have come up with something I'd actually want to see. According to a press release sent out by Vanguard Films, they're bringing in Corpse Bride co-director Mike Johnson to direct Oz Wars, described as a "transformation of the Oz narrative" that involves martial arts, monsters, and a contemporary setting.

Yes, the fact that the producers are describing the project as "dark, slick, sexy and dangerous" is a little horrifying, but I'm trying to think positive and remember Coraline, another dark-tinged stop-motion project from a former Tim Burton collaborator (Henry Selick) that turned out really well. Johnson has a strong background in animation, having also worked as an animator The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach, and might have enough original vision to create an Oz that's totally separate from the 1939 classic we all know (and which shouldn't be remade, ever, so long as we're on the subject).