Robert Downey Jr., Sam Mendes, Adam Shankman All In The Running For 'Wizard Of Oz' Prequel

The word on the virtual street is that director Sam Mendes or Adam Shankman -- one or the other -- may soon be heading to the magical land of Oz for a prequel treatment of L. Frank Baum's classic tale, "The Wizard of Oz." They're both at the top of the list of potential directors for producer Joe Roth and Disney. Also a possibility is Robert Downey Jr., who would star as the Wizard in the days before he came to parcel out internal organs in scroll form from his curtained hideout in Emerald City. "Oz, The Great and Powerful" -- formerly "Brick" -- comes from a script by Mitchell Kapner. For more on this story, check out the full report on MTV.

Tags adam shankman, Oz The Great and Powerful, robert downey jr., sam mendes, the wizard of oz