Flying monkeys, a wicked witch, a cowardly lion, a lost little girl with ruby red shoes, a brainless scarecrow, and a heartless tin man. Follow the yellow brick road to this Scifi channel series debuting in December for yet another reason why you won't have to resort to reality TV if the writer's strike persists. This modern day miniseries adaptation of The Wizard of Oz is one of many translations of the 1900 novel and the original 1939 film. The title stems from the writers' attempt to create a story about a cop in “Oz,” but then it evolved into a reinvention of the entire “Oz” legend. It dilutes the kitschy fantasy--to remove the musical element and the childlike connotations--and amps the science fiction fantasy--for more suspense and adventure.
Zooey Deschanel (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) is the beloved Dorothy Gale, referred to as DG. And although a storm does come and disorient her, the place she lands in is actually familiar, and although she may be looking for the wizard, she's also looking for her long lost mom (Ana Galvin from "The Sentinel"), who might be Glenda the Good Witch, known here as Lavender Eyes. There's a chance her mom sent her away and scrambled her memory to protect her. DG's enemy is Sorceress Azkadellia (Kathleen Robertson from "90210") whose nefarious plan is to escape from Oz (outer zone) into Earth. Helping DG stop her are Glitch/Scarecrow (Alan Cumming from X-Men 2), who has a zipper down the middle of his head and half a brain, Raw/Cowardly Lion (Raoul Trujillo from The New World), who's searching for courage, Cain (Neal McDonough from "Boomtown"), who's a cop with a scarred heart, and the Mystic Man (Richard Dreyfuss), who'll provide some much needed insight.
Aside from the crappy-looking villain, there's a chance this miniseries could seduce a couple million viewers. Since it's a reinterpretation, who knows how it'll end. Watch the trailer below for a sneak peak:
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