Victor Fleming’s 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz has been one of the evergreen movies that has inspired many filmmakers over the years. Kathryn Hahn’s upcoming Marvel show for Disney Plus Agatha All Along is also heavily inspired by the movie based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel of the same name. Recently, executive producer of Agatha All Along, Mary Livanos, and showrunner Jac Schaeffer revealed that their show has been heavily inspired by The Wizard of Oz.
Agatha All Along Is Inspired By The Wizard of Oz
Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr in The Wizard of Oz. Image Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros.
Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha All Along has created an intense buzz as Marvel fans are eagerly waiting for the show’s landing on Disney Plus. Amid the hype, executive producer Mary Livanos and showrunner Jac Schaeffer told CinemaBlend that Agatha All Along was inspired by Victor Fleming’s timeless classic The Wizard of Oz. “We’re really thrilled with this approach,” Livanos said.
“And if you look back to the Golden Age of fantasy and horror you know especially Wizard of Oz which we were, of course, inspired by, there is a timelessness to those films because of how they were executed.”
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Livanos further teased that Agatha All Along somewhat utilized similar effects used in The Wizard of Oz, “we’ve utilized backdrops, miniatures, special makeup, effects to create an entirely practical real environment that our actors were able to stand in the middle of and take emotional advantage of.” She added, “So we’re really excited for that enthusiasm that really galvanized the whole cast and crew to be felt on the other side of the screen.”
Additionally, the producer also confirmed that there are “nods and references” to the Fleming-directed movie “throughout the entire show.” She added that the upcoming series will be a treat to all sorts of “fantasy and horror” film fans. “I think if you’re a fan of those genres and subgenres there’s a little bit uh of everything that everyone loves hidden throughout the entire show.”
Agatha All Along Creator Jac Schaeffer Revealed The Prominence Of The Wizard of Oz
Kathryn Hahn. Image Credit: Marvel Entertainment
Agatha All Along, a spin-off to Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany’s WandaVision, extends Marvel Studios’ magic saga to new ground with several exciting characters making their debut in the MCU. Inherently infested with witchcraft, the show derived inspiration from many movies and TV shows in the past that left a mark in the genre but Schaeffer revealed that The Wizard of Oz was far too prominent to the series led by Hahn.
“Any sort of iconic property that involves witches was an influence on us, right?” Schaeffer told CinemBlend. “Like that was really part of our process, was like how have witches been portrayed historically and in pop culture and how do we siphon that into the show,” she continued.
“The Wizard of Oz is a little bit more prominent because the show is a quest and they are on a road. So, you know we borrowed some of that DNA but we go to some, you know, bananas places that uh, that the yellow brick road didn’t take those folks.”
Agatha All Along also stars Joe Locke, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Maria Dizzia, Paul Adelstein, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Okwui Okpokwasili, Debra Jo Rupp, Patti LuPone, and Aubrey Plaza.
Agatha All Along is coming to Disney Plus on Sept. 18.
