A couple of weeks ago it was reported that James Franco had been next on Sam Raimi's list to head up Oz the Great and Powerful, a prequel of sorts detailing the origin of the wizard and the witches we all know and love. Franco was actually Raimi's fall back option after both Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr. passed. Vulture is now reporting that Franco is no longer the frontrunner, but has in fact signed on to star. And he'll be bringing Mila Kunis along as well. How nice.
Franco and Raimi worked together on all three Spider-Man flicks, and the relationship must've gone well because Vulture's report notes that Franco was in on the decision to cast Kunis as the Wicked Witch of the West.
All this takes place in the midst of a crazy casting day that sees this film intertwined with that of the live-action Akira adaptation. Kunis had been attached to possibly star in the Hughes Brothers' production as Kei, one of the group of young rebels. She took her name out of the hat in order to take the Oz role, and now Akira is looking less and less likely. The problem is, Warner Brothers isn't willing to commit what would no doubt be a massive budget to a flick without a major lead. Brad Pitt was offered the role of Kaneda, an idiotic act of desperation considering Pitt is at least 30 years too old for the part. Who else is going to take it? Possibly nobody big enough for the commitment Akira would entail.
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