After decades of speculation not one, but two new Wizard of Oz films are seemingly coming together. It was recently announced that Robert Downey Jr. could star in the origin story Oz The Great and Powerful and now there are rumblings that Surrender Dorothy is taking a major step forward as well. As reported by Pajiba, Surrender Dorothy will be Drew Barrymore’s second go-around behind the lens.

The film was first announced back in 1999 with Barrymore collaborating with producer Robert Kosberg. Then, in 2002, word got out that Barrymore was set to star. The project still calls Warner Brothers and Barrymore’s Flower Films home, but there’s no word on whether or not Barrymore will keep the leading role. As Pajiba suggests, I’d like to see Barrymore forfeit the part of Dorothy’s great granddaughter and hand it over to a younger actress, maybe even to her Whip It star Ellen Page. That character will have to harness the power of the iconic ruby red slippers in order to stop the Wicked Witch of the West from taking over Oz and Earth.

Regardless, if Barrymore has the talent to create something like Whip It her first time behind the lens, there’s no doubt in my mind that she’ll make this long-awaited Wizard of Oz follow up something special. Whip It was, by far, one of my favorite films of 2009 and sadly, never got the praise it deserved at the box office. Now the question is, which Oz update will be the first out of the gate?

By Perri Nemiroff