Ashanti will star in an original ABC television movie tentatively titled "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz." In addition, Queen Latifah is in final negotiations to appear in the Muppet take on the classic L. Frank Baum novel, which will also find director Quentin Tarantino playing himself.

The Muppets' "Oz" will feature several music numbers but will not be a musical. The story will center on aspiring performer Dorothy Gale, to be played by Ashanti, who works at the diner of her Auntie Em (Latifah) in a small Kansas town while dreaming of hitting the big time.
One day, a tornado sweeps up the trailer where Dorothy lives, and she finds herself in a Muppet version of Oz. There, she meets the Munchkins (played by the Muppet rats), the Scarecrow (Kermit the Frog), the Tin Man (Gonzo) and the Lion (Fozzie).

The group's quest to get the Wicked Witch (Miss Piggy) culminates with a fight scene between Dorothy and the witch. As the action is about to begin, the film cuts to Tarantino pitching to Kermit how the scene should be done -- a cameo written specifically for the "Kill Bill" director.

The production will be directed by Kirk R. Thatcher, who directed NBC's successful "Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie" in 2002. It will air as part of the Wonderful World of Disney franchise.

"We think it combines the elements that have made the Muppets such a success over the years, including combining the Muppets with some of the best-known celebrities around today and putting them in stories and situations that are very unidentifiable," says Chris Curtin, VP/GM of the Muppet Holding Co.

NOOOOO! The Muppets are forever tarnished now!!!!

"Ashanti to sing or act in [anything]."

Urge to kill rising!