In the height of the announcements of new television content by networks, NBC announced three new shows that will focus on classical stories.
Yahoo! News reports that one notable order was a small-screen adaptation of L. Frank Baum's "Emerald City." NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said that the new miniseries will be retelling the story of Dorothy Gale and her adventures in the Land of Oz in darker tones. He also said that the character of Dorothy will be a surprise to fans, as viewers will find her in the miniseries as a very headstrong woman in a world that's not what the cinema has come to know Oz of.
"['Emerald City' is a] dramatic and modern re-imagining of the tales that include lethal warriors, competing kingdoms, and the infamous wizard as we've never seen him before. Dorothy Gale [is] unwittingly sent on an eye-opening journey that thrusts her into the center of an epic and bloody battle for the control of Oz," Entertainment Weekly quoted Greenblatt.
The new "Wizard of Oz" miniseries will be told in 10 episodes, but Greenblatt said that the network might consider turning it into a full television series depending on the demand. It was not clear if there is a timetable for the new series to be shown to television viewers.
The new adaptation of one of the most beloved stories is just one of the many reinterpretations television and film has seen since the Judy Garland-starred film in 1939. The last adaptation was Walt Disney Pictures' "Oz the Great and Powerful," which starred James Franco, Michelle Williams and Mila Kunis.
Referring to the trend of producers tapping creative content that are historically regarded as icons in its own niche, Disney's president of movie production Sean Bailey told the New York Times, "Going in, we certainly talked a lot about these iconic books, the iconic movie and the iconic musical. We felt there was room for a new story. We felt this great land was worthy of exploration and that it could be creatively exciting."