Pras Michel aquires rights to Dark Oz

Grab the KY Gel kiddies, the Wizard of Oz is getting another “take” called Dark Oz and looks to be helmed by Pras Michel of the R&B group the Fugees.

Variety says:

Hip-hop artist Pras Michel of the Fugees has optioned film and TV rights to comic series “Dark Oz,” originally published by Caliber Comics. Storyline follows an older Dorothy Gale in a “gothic and more macabre” setting as she journeys through Oz with the characters known to millions via Frank L. Baum’s “Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”

Now despite the candy coated lollipop guild, I always thought that Oz was kind of a dark story to begin with. It ranks among the classics and is flattered even more passionately through imitation countless times in tv and film history. Even Michael Jackson’s film debut was in The Wiz. A musical paralell to the Wizard of Oz

My concern about this is just how many alternative takes on Oz are we going to see. I am not talking about that prison show, I mean the all powerful all knowing Oz. Kay?

Last year there was a miniseries called TinMan with the infectiously adorable Zooey Dreschanel and Alan Cumming. It was SciFi Network’s highest rated TV event yet. Ever. The stage musical Wicked still gets rave reviews and long waits for tickets. Even the Muppets got their hand at remaking the classic (a tradition for Muppet Movies). There have been a good handful of TV movies offering remakes or continuations of the story as well.

So now we look at the comic book that is inspired by the tale of Dorothy Gale. Dark Oz. Dark Horse published this garrish lesser known varient of the Oz tale, and so far I cannot find any reviews about it.

Usually I would be all up in arms over a popstar helming a movie, but Pras has had some hand in producing and so far he has just been said to have acquired the rights to it.

This is how I like my popstars in movies. People with money to burn paying OTHER people to make a movie for them.

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7 thoughts on “Pras Michel aquires rights to Dark Oz

  1. As a friend to gay fellas I can honestly say your tactic to make me uncomfortable with your proposition no further associates my KY reference to homophobia.

    Nice try.

    You are the one attempting to make this into something it isn’t.

  2. Apologies to John – Rodney, the article is credited to John in the sites news feed. As a gay fella – I uphold my complaint about casual homophobia

    I don’t believe you are homophobic as an individual. I am a fan and laugh my ass off at the podcast. This however is a cheap gag and I guarantee you i’m not the only homo who would find this comment offensive.

    Lastly, as a seasoned practitioner of the anal arts – I’ve never used KY, however I would be pleased to introduce you to spit at your earliest convenience.

  3. Chris, firstly John didn’t write this post. I did.

    Secondly “grab the KY” is not casual homophobia. That you jumped to that conclusion is your own assumption of homophobia.

    Shame on you.

  4. It was Caliber and Arrow Comics, not Dark Horse who published Oz and Dark Oz respectively. The moniker “Dark” OZ was really only added to differentiate between the two publishers when the tile switched companies. It is not “darker” than the original Oz. It is an adventure tale set in that world, with many of the secondary characters never mentioned in the MGM movie or some other tributes.

  5. yea this sounds stupid. If you read the Wizard of OZ, you will see that it already is a bit on the dark side as it is. They change a few significant things in the story that would’ve made the movie a way darker.

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