Sam Raimi's Wizard Of Oz Prequel Puts Call Out For Clowns

The original had witches, a wizard, a scarecrow, a tin man, a lion and flying monkeys. The prequel, it seems, will have clowns.

Now, Sam Raimi’s Wizard of Oz prequel < likely will have a lot more than just clowns, but that’s what the production needs in the Michigan area, according to MichiganActing.com (via Coming Soon). Casting associates have put out a call for trained clowns age 18 and over for paid roles in what will be an origin story for the Wizard, explaining how he arrived in Oz years before Dorothy brought her dog, Toto, to the yellow brick road. Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire will write the screenplay, a prequel to L. Frank Baum’s classic novel.

The casting site says if you would like apply to for a paid gig as a clown in the production, email your name, phone number and a picture in your clown makeup and gear to: OZextras@yahoo.com. Include “Clowns” in your subject line of your email, and be sure to include a picture of you not in clown mode. You might have a chance to act alongside James Franco (who will play the young Wizard), Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz and Zach Braff. Raimi’s film begins production shortly ahead of its March 8, 2013 release date.