With the release and success of The Amazing Spider-Man, one might wonder, whatever happened to that Sam Raimi fella who brought us two of the most important geek trilogies ever (the first of Spider-Man and of course, Evil Dead).

Well, he’s going to take us back to Oz!  In fact, he’s going to show us how Oz got started in Oz: The Great And Powerful.

Set decades before The Wizard of Oz, this film will show us how a simple man could convince an entire world of his wizardry, and stars Harry Osborn himself, James Franco in the lead role.

Here’s the full synopsis:

When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis) Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.
The cast sounds solid, the set up proper intriguing, now lets just see it in action!

Oz: The Great and Powerful hits theaters on March 8th, 2013.