‘Wizard of Oz’ Gets an Ultra-Gritty Reboot in NBC’s ‘Emerald City’ Trailer
Enough Wizard of Oz adaptations have been floated over the past few years that it’s amazing even one made it term, but the awe doesn’t stop there. Behold, NBC’s ultra-ultra-ultra-gritty take on the classic L. Frank Baum tale, as Dorothy crashes into Emerald City in a first trailer.
Premiering January 6, the series features Adria Arjona as Dorothy Gale (complete with K9 police dog Toto), Dracula star Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Scarecrow-type Lucas, Florence Kasumba as the Wicked Witch of the East, Joely Richardson as Glinda, Vincent D’Onofrio as the Wizard of Oz, Ana Ularu as “West” and Gerran Howell as Jack.
So reads the synopsis:
In the blink of a tornado’s eye, 20-year-old Dorothy Gale and a K9 police dog are swept into a world far removed from our own - a mystical land of competing realms, lethal warriors, dark magic and a bloody battle for supremacy. Starring Vincent D’Onofrio (Daredevil, Jurassic World) as the guileful Wizard and directed by the visionary Tarsem Singh across three European countries, this is Oz completely reimagined - a place where familiar characters show up in fresh, unexpected ways, and where an unsuspecting young woman holds the fate of kingdoms in her hands. And as Dorothy navigates this dangerous world and uncovers her true destiny, we’ll see there’s no place like… Oz.
For those unfamiliar, NBC initially announced its Emerald City take on L. Frank Baum’s work to coincide with the classic film’s 75th anniversary, before surprisingly pulling the plug only weeks later. Following the initial “creative differences” with showrunner Josh Friedkin, Emerald City returned with a 10-episode order under The Event producer David Schulner.
It’s an intriguing enough sneak peek — if you don’t mind the overwrought effort put into making this seem like an edgy take on the material — but is Emerald City worth taking a whirl?