Sam Mendes to helm ‘Wizard of Oz’ starring Downey Jr?

Los Angeles: With `Bond 23` put on hold indefinitely, filmmaker Sam Mendes has now reportedly set his eyes on making a movie on `The Wizard of Oz` with Robert Downey Jr playing the titular role.Los Angeles: With `Bond 23` put on hold indefinitely, filmmaker Sam Mendes has now reportedly set his eyes on making a movie on `The Wizard of Oz` with Robert Downey Jr playing the titular role.The British director is in talks to direct `Oz The Great And Powerful`, Production Weekly reported. The film would draw inspiration from the 1900 book `The `Wonderful Wizard of Oz` by L Frank Baumas as well as a few original ideas.

The film will see the wizard as a charlatan in a travelling circus who goes on a similar journey to Dorothy`s, and soon comes across a strange land known as Oz. Mendes would direct the flick for Disney, and would be battling it out with three other Oz productions which are currently being made. There are two at Warner Bros, one called `Oz` while the other a pseudo-sequel about Dorothy`s granddaughter who has an adventure all of her own. The third film is being produced by Universal, who are adapting musical `Wicked.` PTI