New ‘The Wizard of Oz’ film adaptation announced

Nicole Kassell will direct the movie.

The 1939 musical film The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland will go down in history as one of the 20th century greats. But, a new film adaptation has been confirmed, with Nicole Kassell set to direct.

As reported in Deadline, Kassell will direct the feature film, best known for directing and being an executive producer of the 11-time Emmy Award-winning limited series Watchmen. She's also directed episodes of Suits, Better Call Saul and Westworld, with the upcoming The Wizard of Oz feature film marking her first musical film directorial credit.

Speaking about her new job, Kassell said: "While the 1939 musical is part of my DNA, I am exhilarated and humbled by the responsibility of re-imagining such a legendary tale. The opportunity to examine the original themes — the quest for courage, love, wisdom and home — feels more timely and urgent than ever."

The new movie will be produced by New Line Productions, a division of Warner Bros Entertainment. As the 1939 musical film The Wizard of Oz is in the Warner Bros' library, the upcoming film can use the old movie for inspiration.

L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published in 1900, and has since inspired multiple adaptations and new works. This includes Wicked, the West End musical which is currently running at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, with Wicked tickets on sale now.

As well as a new The Wizard of Oz film, a Wicked movie adaptation is also in the works. The screenplay is by Winnie Holzman, with direction by In The Heights' Jon M. Chu. Like The Wizard of Oz, casting for the new Wicked movie is also unknown. 

^{Photo credit: Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz (Photo by Shutterstock)}