At tonight’s Saturn Awards here in Los Angeles I had the chance to talk to Sam Raimi on the red carpet.  While he’s been rumored to be doing Oz as his next project, when I spoke to him, all he wanted to talk about was World of Warcraft.  From the way he spoke, the man is really into the game and it sounded like that’s the project he really wants to do as his next film.  I also asked him about the rumors that he could be directing The Hobbit.  He seemed to think those were just online rumors and nothing more.

Since I have so much to post, for more info you should watch the interview after the jump.  I’ve time indexed the entire interview so you can read the questions.  For fans of the World of Warcraft game, make sure to watch his answer six minutes in.  You’ll love it.  Also, make sure to check back for a ton of other red carpet interviews. I have so many it’s crazy.

Everyone is off to see the Wizard these days.  Drew Barrymore is the latest to throw on a pair of ruby slippers as Pajiba reports that she’ll make Surrender Dorothy as the follow-up to her directorial debut, Whip It.  First announced in 2002, Barrymore was then attached to star in the Wizard of Oz-inspired flick that Zach Helm (Stranger Than Fiction) wrote. The actress/producer/director was originally going to play “the great, great granddaughter of Dorothy who has to learn how to use the power of those ruby red slippers to keep the Wicked Witch of the West from taking control of the kingdoms of Earth and Oz.”  But now that Barrymore is eight years older, I wonder if she’s going to take another role or just stick to directing/producing the film.

I liked Whip It although I think Barrymore should have given the film a harder edge.  Hit the jump to learn about the other Wizard of Oz-based movies currently in development.

Director Sam Mendes may direct Oz The Great and Powerful with Robert Downey Jr. in talks to play the Wizard.  Production Weekly tweets that the two are circling the project written by Mitchell Kapner (The Whole Nine Yards).  According to a 24 Frames article last month [via Pajiba's Twitter], the project (originally titled Brick), is, “based on pieces from several other L. Frank Baum “Oz” books as well as his original ideas.  In this version, the wizard is a charlatan who’s part of a traveling circus but goes on a similar odyssey as Dorothy when he mysteriously lands in Oz.  This Wizard of Oz project is set up at Disney and is competing against two projects at Warner Bros. (Oz, and a second project about Dorthy’s granddaughter who returns to Oz to fight evil) and Universal’s adaptation of the musical Wicked.

Mendes now has free time after Bond 23 was put on ice, although he may go back to do an adaptation of the comic book Preacher.   As for Downey, he’s set for Sherlock Holmes 2 and may star in Alfonso Cuaron’s sci-fi film Gravity.