Vulture reports that Disney is trying to cast the rest of the roles for Sam Raimi's
Oz, The Great & Powerful. They say that Raimi is championing Hilary Swank for the role of the elder witch while Disney wants Michelle Williams. I believe most of the time a director is right on the money but Sam has a trend of hiring plain-Jane actresses for his leads. From what I know about the synopsis the witches are supposed to be beyond gorgeous while Swank can be pretty at times she isn't as stunning as say Mila Kunis, Blake Lively or Michelle Williams. I have to side with Disney as Michelle is coming off some impressive roles in Shutter Island and Blue Valentine the latter earned her second Oscar nomination.
It's unknown if Blake Lively is still involved with the film as she just joined Oliver Stone's Savages. Vulture also reported that John C. Rilley was in talks to play the Wizard's (Franco) sidekick but is expected to get an offer for a role in Hunger Games instead. To be honest I'd rather see Rilley in Oz but let's hope Disney continues to give us a solid cast.
