The Incredibly Weird Universe Of Failed Oz Adaptations

"The Wizard of Oz," the iconic 1939 film adaptation of the 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum, continues to draw audiences almost a century later. But outside of the "Wicked" movies, the second of which hits theaters on November 21, other cinematic takes of Oz have mostly been like, well, a scarecrow without a brain or a tin man without a heart. In other words, they haven't been good. To get the full picture of weird Oz adaptations, check out the video above.

One of the earliest, and best known, is 1978's "The Wiz." It was a popular Broadway show that reimagined 'The Wizard of Oz" with an all-black cast in an urban setting. However, the movie wasn't nearly as successful, despite being helmed by Sidney Lumet, the acclaimed director of "Dog Day Afternoon" and "Network," and starring Richard Pryor as the Wizard, Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow, and Diana Ross as Dorothy. Though people loved the music and it has since gained a strong following, critics hated it at the time and audiences didn't come. 

Another unsuccessful Oz movie was 1985's "Return to Oz."  An underappreciated movie on Disney+, "Return to Oz" was a surprisingly dark unofficial follow-up to the 1939 movie that also adapted some of the later Oz books. Between the electroshock therapy, the Tin Man and Cowardly Lion being turned to stone, and the head-changing princess, the movie was deemed way too traumatic for children and flopped at the box office.

Oz-related works only got stranger as the years went on. Crossovers came about such as 2005's "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz," which cast the Muppets as the famous Baum characters but lacked their usual comedic charm. The direct-to-video "Tom and Jerry & The Wizard of Oz" from 2011 somehow managed to get a sequel in 2016. In 2013, Oz returned to the big screen with "Oz the Great and Powerful." Despite starring the likes of Michelle Williams and Mila Kunis, and being directed by Sam Raimi, the movie has been largely forgotten today.

And let's not forget the TV attempts. 2007 saw Zooey Deschanel and Alan Cumming star in the radically reimagined miniseries "Tin Man," where DG (Deschanel) finds herself in the Outer Zone or O.Z. 2017's "Emerald City" envisioned "Oz" as an unflinching crime saga, complete with bodies and cop chases. Clearly it didn't quite work, and NBC cancelled it after 10 episodes.

So the only unadulterated Oz successes, besides the 1939 film (which itself didn't even break even until a re-release 10 years later), are box office sensation "Wicked" and (hopefully) its continuation, "Wicked: For Good." While "Wicked's" success could encourage studios to try new things with the property, having an Oz-related hit is clearly easier said than done. Watch our video for a full rundown of all the failed Oz projects that have existed.