In August, we told you that Black-ish Cinematic Universe creator Kenya Barris has been tapped for the remake of the classic film, The Wizard of Oz.
Barris is set to write, direct and produce the forthcoming film under his Khalabo Ink Society banner for Warner Bros. And although specific plot details are being kept to a minimum, on Wednesday, the Grown-ish creator gave us a little insight as to what we can expect to see once it’s released and specifically teased that yes, there will be LGBTQ representation in the film.
“The original was an allegory and a reflection of the way the world was at the time with things like the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl,” Barris said according to Variety. “Now we’re going to turn a mirror on where we’re at right now and take disparate characters from the LGBTQ community, from different cultural communities and socioeconomic communities, and tell a story that reflects the world. I think this is the best time to do that.”
Laughing, he added: “I’m nervous. Hopefully, my movie can last as long as the original does. Hopefully, my movie comes out.”
In addition to this film, Barris’ slate of projects continues to build. He and Snoop Dogg will be teaming up for an upcoming football-centric feature, The Underdoggs, which will center around “Jaycen Jenning, ‘2J’s’ (Snoop Dogg), a former NFL superstar who, after a run-in with the law, agrees to coach a youth football team in lieu of prison in the hopes of relaunching his fledgling career,” as we previously reported by The Root. Barris also has an upcoming Netflix film, You People, that he co-wrote with Jonah Hill that stars Eddie Murphy, Nia Long, Lauren London and Hill that’s slated to drop sometime next year.