Robert Downey Jr just can’t stay attached to anything these days, it would appear. After pulling the eject cord on Gravity, he’s now hopped on board a balloon and drifted away from the lead role in Sam Raimi’s Oz, The Great and Powerful, leaving Disney scrabbling to find a new star. The studio’s possible solution? Stalwart player Johnny Depp.
Oz was designed to act as a semi-prequel to The Wizard of Oz, featuring Downey Jr as the young illusionist whose arrogant actions force him to run away from a travelling circus. The hot air balloon he rides is transported in a tornado to the magical land over the rainbow, where he comes into contact with the two witches who run the place.
Raimi has been locked in to direct for a while now, and Disney had been hoping he would kick off shoot later this year. Designers and other crew have already been hired and set/effects decisions are being made.
The Mouse House has reached out to Depp, and he’s said to be in discussions to take over the part, but his schedule is also an issue. He’s got **Dark Shadows **with Tim Burton pencilled in next, and there was the small matter of him playing Tonto in The Lone Ranger. Not to mention his possible other commitments to outside work, such as Kathryn Bigelow’s Triple Frontier. And while the Ranger film isn’t quite as far along the development trail, it does have Gore Verbinski set up to direct and might risk shutting down if Depp is suddenly busy on Oz. Oh, and there were those Pirates 5 rumours too.
Still, there’s nothing set in stone yet, so there’s still time for Disney to find another replacement. Doubt Downey Jr will expect to find a big gift basket from the Mouse House next Christmas, though…