Rachel Weisz to Play Evil Witch in Disney's 'Oz'

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Rachel Weisz

Oscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz is in negotiations to play the villainess in Oz: The Great and Powerful, Disney’s prequel-ish take on The Wizard of Oz tale that stars James Franco and Mila Kunis and is being directed by Sam Raimi.

The movie stars Franco as Oz, a snake oil salesman who finds himself dealing with real magic when his balloon carries him into a fabled land and he runs into genuine witches.

Weisz would play Evanora, a powerful, evil witch who intends to rule the land. She is the sister of Theadora (Kunis) and tries to seduce her to the dark side.

The role would be a change of pace for Weisz, who — despite an eclectic resume ranging from her Oscar-winning work in The Constant Gardener to Wong Kar Wai’s My Blueberry Nights to The Mummy — has never worked on a project of this scale and never tackled what is sure to be a splashy role.

She is repped by CAA.