Hollywood's Struggle to Bring Oz to Life

For decades, Hollywood has tried to recreate the magic of "The Wizard of Oz" on the big screen. With the upcoming release of "Wicked, " starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the industry hopes to finally capture the essence of L. Frank Baum's beloved Oz series. However, the journey has been anything but easy. The original 1939 classic, directed by Victor Fleming, was a box office flop initially despite its legacy. Since then, numerous attempts to reimagine Oz have met with mixed results. "The Wiz, " released in 1978, was a critical failure despite its star-studded cast. "Return to Oz" in 1985, though now a cult classic, also failed to impress critics and audiences at the time. Even Disney's "Oz the Great and Powerful" in 2013, despite making half a billion dollars, fell short of expectations. So, what makes "Wicked" special? Perhaps it's the way it reimagines the world of Oz, making it relevant to today's audiences who have grown up in a world quite different from Baum's. With its mature themes and political undertones, "Wicked" offers a fresh take on a classic story, hoping to finally break Hollywood's Oz curse.