Lance Henriksen in "The Wizard Of Oz" remake.

[ethsnafu]

Lions and tigers and bears....oh my.

Well I never expected to see the words "Lance Henriksen" and "The Wizard of Oz" in the same sentence but it sounds like fun. I did a little searching and managed to track down some information about the low-budget film which is currently in post-production.

BRIDGEPORT -- It's not a yellow brick road, but Dorothy and her friends are living a new adventure on the pavement of Bank Street.

The past two weeks have brought an unusual amount of nighttime activity -- lights and cameras and fog machine, oh my -- to downtown Bridgeport, where a film production crew is shooting a "Wizard of Oz" spin-off supposedly set in Manhattan.

In a part of the city where streets are usually deserted after nightfall, "The Witches of Oz" has brought to life flying monkeys, a screaming wicked witch and a grown-up Dorothy during the filming of some of its most dramatic climax moments.

Saturday night will be the crew's last night filming in the city for this month, before they take a Christmas break and return for one day in January, then move on to other spots in the state, including Norwalk and Easton, said Director Leigh Scott. They have already filmed a bit in Norwalk and Stamford.

Scott said he's "called in a lot of favors" to make the low-budget movie with some well-known actors he'd worked with before, including Christopher Lloyd, Billy Boyd and Lance Henriksen. He's hoping for a small theater release in late spring or early summer 2010.

In the movie, Dorothy has traded the yellow brick road of Oz for the yellow taxis of Manhattan, where she works as a children's book author. But when evil begins to seep into her New York City reality, her modern-day world collides with the dream world of Oz and her friends, everyday

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folks, surprisingly surface as the Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Tin Man to battle the Wicked Witch of the West, who is played by Ridgefield resident Eliza Swenson.

Connecticut native and Staples High School graduate Lloyd, of "Back to the Future," "The Addams Family" and "Taxi" fame, plays the wizard.

"It's like Harry Potter meets Devil Wears Prada," said production supervisor Laura Hill, who lives in Norwalk. "We all came together and said, 'Let's do this.' We really are a family. We've got a good spirit on set."

Many of the production crew, including Scott and Hill, and Swenson moved from Louisiana this year to work on the film and establish a Norwalk-based production company. Many are California natives.

Although there's no place like home and Bridgeport is a far cry from California, Louisiana or Kansas, for that matter, Hill said the crew has enjoyed working in the city, where officials have been extremely accommodating and pleasant to work with.

"We're not changing any signage, so the locals will know what's what," she said.

Mayor Bill Finch said he's pleased to welcome the production company.

"Film crews generate a lot of excitement, especially when they're in the midst of our downtown where residents, employees of areas businesses and visitors can see them at work," Finch said. "Our local businesses benefit from their patronage, and of course, it's always fun to see Bridgeport up on the big screen."

Scott said he chose Bridgeport because of its old-time architecture and affordable cost.

"These old bank buildings are great -- they just look great on film, " he said. "It's coming out really well."

The frigid temperatures during the shooting of some dramatic scenes Wednesday and Thursday meant there was no expensive digital imaging needed to show actors' breath in the night air, he added.

Scott said he also chose Bridgeport in hopes of helping the area's less-affluent communities by patronizing local businesses and employing locals as extras. The production crew is also renting a ground-level space in the Bank of America building nearby.

The filming is entirely funded by Connecticut investors, and the group is partnering with Palace Digital Studios in Norwalk, he said.

The movie is "something different," Scott said, explaining that he's breaking away from the cynicism typical of many recent independent films and drawing his inspiration from 1980s films like "Labyrinth" and "The Dark Crystal."

Instead of Dorothy going to Oz, this time Oz comes to her. But, like in the 1939 film, she comes to the realization that she was "master of her own destiny the whole time," the director said.

Glenda joins the fray as more of a warrior figure this time, said California actress Noel Thurman, who plays the good witch role she believes is "every little girl's dream."

Although the movie has a bit of everything -- comedy, action, fantasy and romance -- and feels somewhat like "Back to the Future" or "Ghostbusters," it's really about relationships, said Billy Boyd, the Scottish actor well known for his role as the mischief-oriented hobbit, Pippin, in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

"It's like a big sort of roller coaster ride," said Boyd, who plays a leading role in the film as Nick, a successful Wall Street man who feels something is missing in his life, meets Dorothy in a bar and becomes embroiled in her adventure. "A real fun romp. Once it kicks off it goes at 100 miles per hour."

Other actors shared Boyd's enthusiasm for the film.

"(Scott) is probably one of the biggest actors' directors I've worked with," Thurman said. "He's actually a really smart guy."

Swenson's scary witch costume, complete with hooked nose, black hat, gray-green makeup, cloudy eye contact and a patch on the other eye, attracted the attention of passersby on Wednesday night, when she shot a scene in which she appears in a smoky, surreal moment with her monkey-minions and demands in a scream: "Give me the key, Dorothy. Give me the key!"

"There was a little boy out there who asked me if I was the Wicked Witch," Swenson, who is co-producing the film with Chris Campbell, told fellow actors with a laugh, while warming up in a makeup trailer after the scene. "I told him no, I was Glenda. He didn't believe me."

From what I can gather it looks as though Lance has a supporting role in this film as Henry Gale the uncle of orphan Dorothy Gale and husband of Aunt Em.

Here's a shot of Billy Boyd on set (sorry, couldn't find any of Lance).

[Walkabout]

lol...a job is a job. Have you seen Lance in the 'Super Mario brothers' movie??

[ty7du]

I didn't know he was in the Super Mario Bros movie. He's in everything, it seems :D

I snagged a cheap copy of Appaloosa, gotta see Lance in it, haven't seen this film.

[ethsnafu]

I guess it's not surprising that you don't remember him as he appears only briefly in the film. I have to say I only sat through the film because of the promise of Lance Henriksen being in it and that's not to say that I join the legions in proclaiming it a bad film, it just isn't the type of film I would normally watch. I'm sure I read somewhere that Lance met his current wife on the set of this movie so I guess it was worth it for that alone. Here is Lance's 'blink and you'll miss it' cameo in the movie.

Eth

[ty7du]

I wonder if he's looking for an easy exit in that scene. But that was quite impressive that morph from the effect to Lance.

[ethsnafu]

Hi folks,

More talk about "The Witches of Oz" this time a superb interview with Leigh Scott the director. Leigh has worked with Lance before on "The Pirates Of Treasure Island" and he talks about his career to date and his new film. For those of you who are aware of Leigh's work the interview doesn't shy away from his involvement with Asylum, a company that specialising in ripping movies off and making low budget versions of big blockbusters and rushing them to the DVD rental stores in the hope that they can confuse you into renting their film instead.

Interesting read.

Eth

Whether or not you actually agree with Leigh Scott's methods of filmmaking and business, whether or not you like Asylum, whether or not you've ever bothered to see a film from Asylum, you can't argue that Leigh Scott is definitely ambitious and has an eye for detail. Though films like "Transmorphers" and "Pirates of Treasure Island" were considered busts and universally mocked, there's a definite knack for detail and cinematography there that you can't deny. Leigh Scott went to work for Asylum pictures a long time ago becoming their most prominent director, a man who guaranteed to get their movies out there in time with a solid cast, and since then he's branched out to make films on his terms and try to emulate the directors he's come to admire as a film buff.

The Milwaukee born filmmaker is still at it, and now has the chance to hit the scene in a big way with a revisiting of the L. Frank Baum tale "The Wizard of Oz" which is a modern take with a twist called "The Witches of Oz" about an adult Dorothy now being called on to save her own reality when the Wicked Witch of the West decides to conquer Earth. Often a controversial filmmaker spawning many articles and questions of his practices, Scott has shown no signs of slowing down any time soon and continues to power on with this much talked about production expected to have a limited release soon.

Though Leigh and I have a rather interesting, volatile, infamous (any other adjectives you can think of) history together, I thought it would be a good chance to interview Scott and see what he's been up to and why he decided to twist the tale of "Wizard of Oz" for the modern age.

Leigh Scott

Actor, Director, Writer

Director of: Beast of Bray Road, The Hitchhiker, 9/11 Commission Report

We meet again, Scott. How are you?

I'm doing great. Never better.

So for the readers who don't know you, who is Leigh Scott?

When I was about six years old I decided that I wanted to make movies. I've never looked back. I've done about 20 feature films, all lower budget and mostly "genre" films.

How did you start out in the business?

I went to film school at USC. While I was there I worked for Roger Corman at Concorde Pictures on the weekends and then during the summer. I was pretty persistent and worked in every department possible so I could learn everything. When I graduated from USC I raised a bunch of money and made a film. It didn't go anywhere, but it allowed me to learn more about the business and get into the Hollywood network. I then worked exclusively in various film jobs, raising money and directing movies in between working as a grip, AD, camera assistant etc. One thing just led to another and I've been a producer/writer/director for the last five years.

You worked for Asylum for a long time, how was that experience?

Working at the Asylum was more fun than most people should be allowed to have. It was like college all over again, while getting to make movies and oh, getting paid.

Asylum has been under constant scrutiny in the press for basically making its living off of copying big budget blockbusters. What's your opinion on that?

The Asylum isn't any less original than anyone else who makes movies for profit in Hollywood. They are just more savvy and shameless about it. The real irony to me is that most of the actual films they make, despite the marketing campaigns and titles, are more original than stuff being done by the big studios and other indie outlets. It's just so blatant that people who never see the films pile on and criticize their originality. I mean, what's more original, the actual film inside the TRANSMORPHERS box or the tired and lame slasher movies put out on a daily basis by some of the bigger indie studios? And the big guys are even worse.

What would you say was your favorite project from Asylum?

We did three movies almost back to back: FRANKENSTEIN REBORN, THE BEAST OF BRAY ROAD and DRACULA'S CURSE. We called it the classic monster "Box Set". I'd say those three together are my favorite. They're all interconnected in a film geek sort of way and they're the only Asylum that I've watched for fun once the films were done.

Where do you draw your film influences from?

I love the fact that movies are a combination of a bunch of different art forms. Music, theater, literature, photography all come together to make a movie. So, a lot of times it will be a piece of music or a photograph that will give me an idea for either a story or help me figure out how to shoot something or cut something for a film.

I'm a huge fan of genre movies made between 1981 and about 1992. It was the "Golden Age of Spielberg" and gave us movies like Gremlins and Ghostbusters. I miss movies like that, which is what sort of led me to make The Witches of Oz.

On your MySpace page the phrase "Good artists copy, Great artists steal" is prominent. What's your take on that ideology?

That's actually a quote from Picasso. The basic idea is that art is a linear progression, cave drawings lead to photoshop. So, good artists are aware of that and strive to build on and be influenced by what others have done before them. Stealing means that you take it and make it your own. I think it's pretty true, and I picked it because of all the heat I got from working at the Asylum.

Where did the idea for "Witches of Oz" stem from?

About four years ago everybody in Hollywood was buying up these lame "tween" books looking for the next Harry Potter. At about the same time I was charged with finding public domain stuff at the Asylum. When I discovered that the Wizard of Oz was available, I pitched it to them. They were afraid of it because it was such a well known property and at the time horror stuff was still the rage. Plus, it just sounds expensive, and now having done it, they were right!

Did you read any of the books or watch any of the movies to research the story for this new film?

I read it all and watched it all. The books are really weird. They're written for little kids, but the concepts and ideas are really adult and creepy. As for the movies, I think RETURN TO OZ is pretty underrated. Every film about Oz has to live in the shadow of the 1939 film which isn't just the definitive Oz movie, it's one of the most iconic films in history. We decided, unlike the 1985 Oz film, to incorporate the musical into our film through subtle references and a few bigger elements of the production design, creature design, wardrobe etc.

What is the proposed budget for this new film?

It's tough to say because of the way the film came together. My partners (Eliza Swenson and Chris Campbell) were incredibly supportive and artistically indulgent so we made decisions that you usually wouldn't make if you were making a film aimed for the SyFy channel or a DVD release. Because of that a lot of our friends and associates who are pretty big time and well out of our price range have decided to help out.

It's ironic because in attempting to make something less commercial, we ended up putting together something that has ended up with greater potential. So, cash out of pocket it cost more than all of my Asylum films combined, but if we were to pay retail rates for all of the talented people working on it, it would probably be in the 10-15 million dollar range.

A look at Scott's films

What's it like working with Christopher Lloyd?

He's a great guy. Real quiet, which you wouldn't expect because he is so larger than life after you call "action". It was a little weird calling him "Chris" because I have such respect for him and grew up on the movies he's made (and not just Back to the Future, but Star Trek 3 and Buckaroo Bonzai).

Word has it you cast Jason Mewes, how is he to work with?

Jason is Jason. Totally cool guy. His emails and voicemails are hilarious.

Paulie Rojas has a real classical look to her, was that one of the things you took in to consideration when casting her as Dorothy?

Yes. Paulie does have this sort of Audrey Hepburn thing going on which was key. We needed somebody who just looked innocent and had a sort of etherial, classic beauty. From the first time she shows up in the film you know that she's the good guy and you're rooting for her. It was important to cast someone who could hold their own opposite Eliza Swenson who plays Dorothy's big city best friend. Eliza has such a va va va voom look that we needed balance, but still needed somebody beautiful and able to act the wide range of emotions that the character goes through.

Lance Henrisken is also set to star, what role will he be playing? And how was he to work with?

Lance is the man. He is sort of the opposite of Christopher Llyod. Lance always plays tough guy badasses and in real life he is a tough guy badass. We worked together at the Asylum and we're friends, so it was fun to work with him on something completely different. He plays Dorothy's Uncle Henry who was a big character in the books, but a small character in the 1939 film.

Are you working with the Asylum to release this or another studio altogether?

The Asylum had nothing to do with this show. We have a sales agent in place who will start selling the film once it's complete this summer.

Are you pushing for a limited theatrical run or a DVD release?

I'm sure it will show up in a few theaters. We are doing all of our post production anticipating theatrical release.

Why do you think the Wizard of Oz continues to be material that filmmakers tap?

It's a great fantasy world. It's like Lord of the Rings in the sense that the universe of the story is so fleshed out. It has a history, a geography and all sorts of great creatures and characters.

If you can tell us, what will be your interpretation of the three characters from Oz (i.e. The Cowardly Lion, The Tin Man, etc.)?

Those characters are definitely in the film, and they are seen in various incarnations. I'd hate to give too much away...

Are you going to be implementing traditional effects or CGI?

I like doing both. Nothing looks better than a practical effect that has a little extra CGI spice. For the Flying Monkeys in the film we went with actors in awesome creature suits, but added the wings in post. They look much more real than if we had gone 100% CGI. We are using a lot of CGI to create the world of OZ and the Emerald City. There's also a massive sequence in the finale where the Wicked Witch of the West unleashes all of the dark forces of Oz on Manhattan. There is a lot of CGI in that. We are up to around 1000 CGI shots for the film. To put it into perspective, most Asylum moves and SyFy channel films are in the 60-100 shot range.

Who would you like to work with in the future (i.e. actors or directors)?

I'm not really big into working with people who are "hot" right now. I'm much happier working with people like Lance, Jeff Combs, Billy Boyd and Mia Sara than I would be working with someone from Jersey Shore or say a Megan Fox. I really like working with actors that I respect and appreciate as well as lesser known actors who I have a history with like Eliza Swenson and Barry Ratcliffe. Having said that I'm a big Robert Downey Jr. fan and I think Emily Blunt is an amazing actress.

For readers not aware yet, what's next in the pipeline for Leigh Scott?

We have a few things kicking around. Our company is in the mix for this big Science Fiction property that would be huge. We also have a super hero film, a really solid creature film, and another vampire action film that we may tackle once Oz is finished.

Sounds very promising. Thanks a lot for your time, Leigh!

Thank you. Keep up the good work. I read your reviews religiously!

You can find Leigh Scott on MySpace, and on Blogspot.

[Earthnut]

Wow, what an interesting thread. Is there a trailer for "The Witches of Oz" anywhere?

I need to ask my sons if they have seen "Super Mario Bros." since they play the games.

ty7du, I agree with the "morph from the effect to Lance" being impressive.

[ethsnafu]

Hi Darlene,

I managed to find the website for the movie and a poster to boot and I have to say the artwork is sumptuous and I beginning to get excited about this film since it is strongly implied in the above interview that Lance has such a sizeable role in it. It also looks like it's 3D and I can't remember if I'd seen that before or not.

I've also tracked down the official Blog for the movie folks and you can see a few updates and behind the scenes images there. Content will continue up to the movie's release and beyond. Unfortunately though, no trailer at present.

Time to go *clicks rubber slippers three times*

Eth

[Walkabout]

I clicked three times and..... [dramatic pause]....nothing

[ethsnafu]

I clicked three times and everything went from black and white to glorious technicolour. I guess that means I did it right

Eth