You've really got to feel sorry for the production team that probably thought they had decent jobs in the pipeline after NBC announced plans for Emerald City, an 'Oz' inspired big-budget drama. The project by Matthew Arnold had a 10-episode series ready to go into production. It sounded pretty good - a sort of dark reimagining of the Oz tales with a Game of Thrones twist. 

Matthew Arnold Emerald CityMatthew Arnold is the creator of Emerald City

Emerald City would have referenced L. Frank Baum'z Oz tales though with more battles. Interestingly, it would of focused on a 20-year-old Dorothy Gale sent to Oz, where she finds herself at the center of an epic and bloody battle. Sounds pretty good, right? Only, Emerald City has been cancelled.

Variety reports that a difference in vision between NBC executives and writer Jonathan Friedman led to the decision for the show to be pulled entirely. Apparently producers Universal Television are considering shopping it elsewhere. 

More: 'Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return' knocks the sparkle from Emerald City

It's actually not the first recent big-budget concept show to get a straight-to-series order before getting pulled. Fox cancelled the adventure series Hieroglyph after shooting the pilot and getting anxious about early scripts. NBC's decision seems even odder though, given the studio pushed Emerald City big-time at the San Diego Comic-Con in July. The posters were littered throughout the city.

Emerald City was one of a several projects set to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Wizard of Oz. Despite not being a box-office success of the time, The Wizard of Oz (1939) is regarded as one of the most commercially successful and influential movies of all time. 

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