James Franco is in talks with Disney to star in Sam Raimi’s, Oz, The Great and Powerful, a sort of “origin” prequel to The Wizard of Oz. Robert Downey Jr., had been attached to the project before dropping out a few weeks ago. Disney was hoping that Johnny Depp could take over, but with both Dark Shadows and The Lone Ranger on his dance card, the timing just didn’t work for Depp.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the versatile Franco has the inside track on the Oz role in part because of his familiarity with Raimi. Franco played Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man movies.

This bit of casting news is of particular interest, not just because it indicates that Disney is serious about producing Oz, The Great and Powerful (which could stimulate sales of Marvel’s excellent Oz adaptations), but also because it indicates the likelihood that two other projects with a long and varied comic book histories, Dark Shadows and The Lone Ranger, are likely to be produced in the near future.