Sam Raimi, the director of the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy, is back in Oz The Great and Powerful. In it he tells the fantastical origin story of The Wizard of Oz, a character originally invented by L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The story serves as a prequel to the famous 1939 film starring Judy Garland. A synopsis follows:

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.

Oz: The Great and Powerful opens March 8, 2013 in 3D.