BLACK-ISH Creator Kenya Barris Set to Write and Direct Reimagining of THE WIZARD OF OZ
Director Kenya Barris has had a lot of hits on his hands with the creation of the wildly popular reality show America’s Next Top Model, as well as the hit series Black-ish and its two spin-off series, as well as writing features like Girls Trip and Coming 2 America.
Now he is taking on a classic story with the reimagining of one of Hollywood’s favorite films, The Wizard of Oz. Barris will write and direct the film, and while it’s said to be going in a different direction than the original, Barris is keeping the creative details close to the vest. It will be a modern reimagining of the iconic musical.
This is a huge gamble. When movie fans hear that a property is being remade, there is a general feeling of frustration, but that’s even with titles that were less loved than this one. The Wizard of Oz was done so perfectly in its time that it would be nearly impossible to make it better, so you’d have to go the different route, but in doing that, some wonder why even tie it to the original in the first place. I genuinely hope it turns out great, and we see something amazing come out of this reimagining though.
In the meantime, Barris is super busy on several projects. He is currently in post-production on his feature directorial debut, You People, which he co-wrote with Jonah Hill. The original comedy features an awesome cast that includes Hill, Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lauren London, Nia Long, and David Duchovny, among others.
Next month, Barris will launch Entergalatic, a television event that he co-created with Kid Cudi. The first-of-its-kind project is inspired by the Grammy winner’s upcoming album of the same name and combines adult animation, music, fashion and art to tell a story about modern Black love in New York City.
He is also working on a remake of the sports comedy White Men Can’t Jump; as well as a feature film about comedic icon Richard Pryor that Barris is writing to direct and produce; an animated movie inspired by the songs and music of Bob Marley; and a feature-length musical about Juneteenth that he has teamed with Pharrell Williams to produce.
Which of these projects are you most looking forward to checking out?
via: Deadline