We hope you like The Wizard of Oz, cause you're about to see a lot of it on your TV next year: NBC has just greenlit a new Oz-inspired drama from Siberia creator Matthew Arnold, which will be based on L. Frank Baum's original Oz novels. This series comes in addition to two other Oz-inspired shows that have been greenlit for next year: CBS's medical drama, Dorothy, and Syfy's Oz-inspired, shark-free miniseries that as an "apocalyptic twist."
According to The Wrap, NBC's series will be based on Baum's 14 Wonderful Wizard of Oz novels, which were originally published between 1900 and 1920. If you've ever read any of them, it should go without saying that this show is planned to be pretty dark—in the books, the Wicked Witch of the West takes a lot of drastic measures to ensure Dorothy and her crew don't find her, including but not limited to: Sending a pack of 40 wolves to eat Dorothy, sending a swarm of bees to sting her to death, and sending 40 ravens to go claw her eyes out. So, you know, it's probable that she's a sociopath.
The pilot will be both written and directed by Arnold. No word on when we can expect to see it, but since this project is in the very early stages, it likely won't be until next fall. Sorry. You can always watch James Franco in Oz the Great and Powerful until then.
[via The Wrap]
