NBC’s ‘Emerald City': Gritty ‘Wizard of Oz’ Reboot Reveals First Character Descriptions
Thus far we've seen multiple attempts to cash in on the forthcoming 75th anniversary of 'The Wizard of Oz' with a TV reboot, and while few pilots have made a great deal of progress, it looks like NBC's dark and twisted 'Emerald City' is the first to drop a houseful of character reveals. Meet the new Dorothy and her colorful friends in the first casting descriptions from 'Emerald City,' set for the 2014-15 season!
Courtesy of TVLine, NBC's 'Emerald City' sees Dorothy as a 20-year-old looking for clues to the identity of her biological mother, and breaking into a sinister midwestern facility for answers. Raising security alarms in the process, Dorothy steals a K9 police dog and flees directly into the path of a tornado. Stop us if you've heard this one before, but the wicked twister transports Dorothy to "a mystical land of competing kingdoms, lethal warriors, dark magic and a bloody battle for supremacy," one in which "wicked witches don’t stay dead for long."
As if that weren't enough, check out the full set of character descriptions, and try to guess who's who!
DOROTHY GALE | A natural, and not waify, beauty scarred by past experiences, Dorothy has patched a life together for herself despite the fact that she sells herself short. Outward insecurity and lack of self-awareness hide the savior survivor that she will discover she truly is.
WEST | This 30something femme is a corruptive — and fearsome — force of nature, a drugged-out virtuoso filled with self-loathing. She’s equal parts compelling and unsettling.
NORTH | In her 30s or 40s, this Type-A manipulative perfectionist has a bit of a “big sister” relationship to West.
HENRY | The series’ male romantic lead, this handsome and well-built gent presents a seemingly open nature that belies a bit of a past. #Denry
THE WIZARD | On the exterior, this 40something male is a charismatic and politically astute leader, earnest in his beliefs and intentions but also an “ends justify the means” sort. His showmanship however conceals a dangerous, and perhaps deadly, seriousness.
EAMONN | The Wizard’s righthand man is unquestioningly loyal. A strong, silent type.
TIP | All of 15 and harboring a secret past, this lass is undergoing the discomfort of discovering her sexuality.
JACK | Tip’s neighbor and closest friend, an adventurous and energetic teen.
OJO | A member of the Munja’kin, a primitive and isolated cross-pollinated culture, this stoic and fearsome man (mid-30s to early 40s) is rather unsympathetic to Dorothy’s plight.
SYLVIA | A “good mimic” is sought to play this odd, feral and haunted 10-year-old.
Elsewhere, NBC’s modern 10-episode take on the classic L. Frank Baum stories, ‘Emerald City,’ features the logline “A head-strong 20-year-old Dorothy Gale is unwittingly sent on an eye-opening journey that thrusts her into the center of an epic and bloody battle for the control of Oz.” The impending 75th anniversary has brought all manner of ‘Oz’ TV series into development, including Lifetime’s ‘Game of Thrones‘-style ‘Red Brick Road,‘ ‘Heroes‘ creator Tim Kring’s CW series ‘Dorothy Must Die,’ Syfy’s ‘Warriors of Oz,’ and the CBS medical procedural ‘Dorothy.’
Well, what say you? Does 'Emerald City' sound like a fresh new take on the material, or too 'Game of Thrones'-like for its own good?