Timur Bekmambetov may not exactly be a household name. But Deadline Hollywood reports he just signed a deal with the Syfy network to create a miniseries called “Warriors of Oz,” a very loose adaptation of the classic Frank Baum story in which a warrior from Earth — instead of Dorothy Gale from Kansas — is transported to a post-apocalyptic Oz to do battle with the Wizard.
Instead of the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow, we get Heartless, Brainless and Coward as the comrades the visitor from earth teams up with.
Bekmambetov directed the 2008 Angelina Jolie thriller “Wanted” and last year’s “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” which starred Benjamin Walker and placed the US president in a bloody Gothic melodrama.
Bekmambetov will be the executive producer on “Warriors of Oz” with Universal Cable Productions. He may also direct the project, but a writing team has not been hired.
The classic Oz story was made into a feature film earlier this year. “Oz: the Great and Powerful” starred James Franco as the magician named Oz and co-starred Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis and Michelle Williams as three witches who are suspicious of his motives. It was a trememdous box-office success, grossing over $230 million dollars in the US.
Syfy has been ramping up mini-series development, announcing two four-hour projects based on Larry Niven’s “Ringworld” and on Arthur C. Clarke’s “Childhood’s End.” It successfully launched the futuristic series “Defiance” this year as well.