Mila Kunis cast as the Wicked Witch of the West

Black Swan actress Mila Kunis has been cast as Theodora, the eventual Wicked Witch of the West, alongside James Franco in Sam Raimi’s Oz the Great and Powerful, a prequel to the classic story, The Wizard of Oz.

According to Vulture, Franco and Raimi (who worked together on the Spider-Man series) met and discussed Kunis’ involvement before he officially signed to star as the fast-talking magician who flees from a traveling circus in a hot air balloon only to wind up in the magical land of Oz.

Theodora, who eventually becomes the Wicked Witch of the West in the familiar story, begins as a good witch, torn by her affections for Oz and the corrupting influences of her powerful sister Evanora (of the East). When war breaks out between the evil witches and the various creatures of Oz, the magician (mistaken as a wizard) joins the forces of good with Glinda (of the North) for an epic battle — reminiscent of the stand-off in Burton’s recent Alice in Wonderland.

In the script, which underwent revisions recently by David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole), Theodora is described as beautiful, dressed in an open-collared white shirt, black pants, and black knee-high boots with “quick eyes, quick movements, and a quick, lively mind.”

Vulture also says Kunis was being considered for a part in WB’s live-action Akira remake, which signed the Hughes brothers to direct over a year ago. Warner Bros president Jeff Robinov reportedly (and rather randomly) offered the lead, Kaneda, to Brad Pitt, who passed. Franco was also rumored for the part, as was Zac Efron. It’s unclear when, or if, the expensive Akira redo will get off the ground, but Disney’s Oz prequel shoots this July.

The ubiquitous Franco, 32, and Kunis, 27, played supporting roles together in Date Night, a rather disposable romantic comedy that starred Steve Carell and Tina Fey but wasn’t quite the hilarious flick its star-studded ensemble deserved.

This announcement partially confirms suspicions that Kunis is using some kind of witchcraft and/or wizardry in order to appear exponentially more sexy every day. However, we’ve been unable to confirm this because she will not respond to our numerous calls to her personal cell phone.

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