The Wiz (film) certain we didn't use anything from it. They made a brilliant movie, and even though our concept is different – they're Kansas, we're New York; they're white, we're black, and the score and the books are totally different – we wanted to make sure that we never overlapped in any area." Michael Jackson, a former Motown star and close friend of Diana Ross was cast as the Scarecrow. By the start of development on "The Wiz" in 1977, he and his brothers The Jacksons, had left Motown for Epic Records, though Jackson had yet to make a solo album since
The Wiz (film) Bassett, or they might have taken longer to emerge." "The Boston Globe" commented, "the term 'black film' should be struck from the critical vocabulary. To appreciate just how outmoded, deceptive and limiting it is, consider the following, all of which have been described as black films, . . ." and characterized "The Wiz" in a list which also featured 1970s films "Shaft", "Blacula", and "Super Fly". Despite its lack of critical or commercial success in its original release, "The Wiz" became a cult classic, especially because it features Michael Jackson in his first starring theatrical film role. Jackson later starred