Kunis Convinces Franco to Join “Oz, The Great and Powerful”

Mila Kunis and James Franco, who appeared together in "Date Night," are reuniting for a prequel to "The Wizard of Oz."

Kunis recently met with Franco and director Sam Raimi to talk about "Oz, the Great and Powerful," after which it was agreed she'd be a good fit for the role of the Wicked Witch of the West. And with Kunis on board, Franco finally agreed to take the title role, reported Vulture.

Who'd've guessed a decade ago that the ditz from "That '70s Show" and the mimbo from "Freaks & Geeks" would both be coming off Oscar-nominated films and top-lining a tentpole franchise?

The "Oz" script, which was recently cleaned up by David Lindsay-Abaire ("Rabbit Hole"), tells of the origin of the Wizard of Oz, as well as the witches Glinda (Good/North), Evanorah (Wicked/East) and Theodorah (Wicked/West).

Getting this film made has been a tortured yellow brick road for Raimi, who had and lost Robert Downey Jr. for the lead and then failed to land Johnny Depp. But with his two stars set, he's hoping to start shooting in July.

But for every winner there's a loser, and this case it's the Hughes Bothers, who wanted Kunis for their live-action adaptation of "Akira," which now floats in limbo with no leads or a start date.

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