The Wizard Of Oz and It’s A Wonderful Life are going to get a ‘diverse’ reboot, a Hollywood director has revealed.
Kenya Barris, who created the ABC sitcom Black-ish, is working on scripts for the Warner Bros adaptations of the Hollywood classics and spoke of his plans to make some key changes as he appeared at the Sundance Film Festival.
The producer, 50, said the 1939 Judy Garland film The Wizard Of Oz will get a modern day remake with it set it The Bottoms – Inglewood, California, rather than Kansas.
Kenya added it is the ‘best time to turn a mirror on society’ and he wants to do both films with diverse characters.
‘The original Wizard of Oz took place during the Great Depression and it was about self-reliance and what people were going through, I think this is the perfect time to switch the characters and talk about what someone imagines their life could be,’ Kenya told Variety.
The Wizard Of Oz and It’s A Wonderful Life are going to get a ‘diverse’ reboot, a Hollywood director has revealed (pictured Judy Garland and Dorothy Gale in The Wizard Of Oz in 1939)
Kenya Barris, who created the ABC sitcom Black-ish, is working on scripts for the Warner Bros adaptations to the Hollywood classics (pictured James Steward and Donna Reed)
The producer, 50, said the 1939 Judy Garland film The Wizard Of Oz will get a modern day remake at the festival
‘It’s ultimately a hero’s journey, someone thinks something’s better than where they’re at, and they go and realize that where they’re at is where they should be.
‘I want people to be proud and happy about where they’re from but I want the world to take a look at it and I hope that will come through.’
Kenya also spoke of his plans for the 1956 Frank Capra classic starring James Stewart to have a ‘person of colour’ as the lead.
The plot follows a man who is presented with guardian angel, Clarence Obody, on Christmas Eve as he battles suicidal thoughts.
Clarence shows George all the lives he touched and what the world would be like if he had not existed.
Kenya said: ‘I think that’s the perfect story to tell for a person of colour – Black or brown – to get into that because our communities have some issues and someone trying to help that community out. I think that’s the perfect vehicle to tell that story from.
Kenya is an American film and television writer, producer, director, and actor best known for creating the ABC hit series Black-ish.
His writing credits include films such as Girls Trip, Soul, and Coming 2 America.
Broadway scored big when it debuted the musical Wicked, which is now being made into a film with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo starring in the adaptation
Kenya is an American film and television writer, producer, director, and actor best known for creating the ABC hit series Black-ish (pictured)
In 2020, Barris made his acting debut in #BlackAF, a series he developed for Netflix, co-starring Rashida Jones, and Iman Benson.
The original Wizard of Oz, starring Judy, is ranked as one of the most influential and greatest movies of all time.
The iconic picture by Metro Goldwyn Mayer has been the inspiration for many film and television and Broadway adaptations.
Notably, The Wiz which starred the likes of musical sensations Diana Ross and Michael Jackson was released on the big screen with much acclaim in 1975.
Broadway scored big when it debuted the musical Wicked, which is now being made into a film with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo starring in the adaptation.