Charlie Chaplin, Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man - any one of these parts could aptly be called the role of a lifetime for most actors. For Robert Downey Jr. they're all just bullet points on a spectacular resume. Now the actor is poised to add another illustrious name to the list of characters he's portrayed: The Wizard of Oz.
Pajiba reports that Downey Jr. has been offered the lead role of The Wizard in Oz: The Great and Powerful. The film is a prequel to the Judy Garland classic, focusing on the origin of the man at the end of the yellow brick road.
Exqually exciting nees is that Sam Mendes is reportedly attached to direct. Mendes has a lot more time on his hands now that the James Bond picture he was in line to shoot has been suspended indefinitely, thanks to financial problems at MGM.
Disney is said to be keen on the project and will likely be even more so if Downey Jr. says yes. It certainly can't hurt that Oz producer Joe Roth was also one of the orchestrators behind the smash hit Alice in Wonderland.
In the original Wizard of Oz, actor Frank Morgan played the Wizard. He also appeared throughout the picture as various other characters, including Professor Marvel the carnival huckster, Emerald City's gatekeeper, a carriage driver and a guard at the entrance to the Wizard's hall.
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