Tin Man (TV Miniseries) - Production

Production

RHI Entertainment and the Sci Fi Channel spent $20 million in the creation of the Tin Man miniseries, with Robert Halmi, Sr. acting as the lead producer. Sci Fi executive Dave Howe noted that the companies felt such classic stories as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz "deserve to be re-imagined for a new generation." The script used for the creation of Tin Man reimagined The Wizard of Oz by creating new characters and adding elements of science fiction, fantasy, and steampunk to the narrative while making many allusions to the original story.

Nick Willing was chosen as the director for the piece. He brought with him his experience in directing the 1999 reimagining of Alice in Wonderland, and noted that it wasn't his intention to have it be The Wizard of Oz. They set out to use the sci-fi elements to completely change the story. As Willing speaks about the characters' reflection of the originals, he notes that, "the witch is now running things, Toto is working for her, and Dorothy doesn't even know she's Dorothy."

Writer and executive producer Steven Long Mitchell explains, "The Tin Man is an iconic character ... It's a real throwback in a lot of ways. It's almost an Eastwood character. It's a guy who knows the difference between right and wrong. It's a very iconic Western character. When we made the list, Craig and I, we kept going, 'We need Neal. We need Neal.' He has strength as a man. He is unabashedly a man and unapologetically a man." According to The Washington Post, when "McDonough read the script, though, he immediately saw the opportunity to play Wyatt Cain as 'that iconic Western Gary Cooper, High Noon-ish character.'"

According to the International Herald Tribune, "Wide-eyed or no, Deschanel didn't want to reprise Garland's pigtailed Dorothy in Tin Man. 'That was such an incredible performance that there's no need to repeat it,' she said. 'I wanted to make this role my own.'" In another interview, Deschanel elaborated that when preparing for her role she did not re-watch the 1939 film, because the "whole point was to reinvent it. I wouldn't be interested in just re-making the film because it is such a classic film. I love that film. Plus, it's so great, you don't want to be trying to improve upon perfection." She also avoided watching the musical Wicked. While she may not have wanted to repeat past performances of Dorothy Gale, Deschanel has had an interest in playing the character for much of her life. When asked by TechTelevision, "Did you ever dream in a million years that you would ever play Dorothy in a version of The Wizard of Oz?" Deschanel replied, "I'd hoped. It was always one of my favorite characters since I was two years old."

Actress Kathleen Robertson, who plays the adult Azkadellia, deliberately portrayed the character as a quiet menace, self-restrained rather than gregarious: "It's a very daunting prospect when you're asked to play one of the most iconic film villainesses in history. As opposed to playing Azkadellia archetypal and loud, I played her internal and psychological. She's narcissistic, she has every personality disorder that you can figure." Producer Michael O'Connor commented that "Our Wicked Witch is a little bit different than that in the book, but we think she's a touch more evil and diabolical." He also remarked that Kathleen Robertson brought "the deliciousness of evil to the role." Robertson, production designer Michael Joy, and actor Neal McDonough (who plays Wyatt Cain) have all remarked that Azkadellia's personality informed the scenic design of the O.Z. and the look and feel of her minions, from the costuming of Azkadellia and her Longcoats to the appearance of the mobats. According to Joy, "Azkadellia is in love with power—drugged by power. Everything is in the image of that power." He describes the costumes of the Longcoats as "stormtrooper-meets-leather bar" and the interior decor of Azkadellia's palace as "futuristic for 1930s' fascist realist".