She tried her hand at directing last year with the little-seen roller derby comedy Whip It!, but now Drew Barrymore will attempt to refresh a classic: The Wizard of Oz. The Golden Globe-winning actress is reportedly set to direct a sequel to the 1939 film called Surrender Dorothy, which follows Dorothy’s great-great granddaughter as she tries to protect Earth and Oz from the (presumably resurrected) Wicked Witch of the West with the help of those famous ruby slippers. No word yet from Barrymore on the project.

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In October 1988, an Eskimo found three California gray whales trapped under ice in the Arctic Circle. The subsequent rescue became an international media event as more than 150 journalists from four continents transcended upon the small town of Barrow, Alaska.

Millions of people watched U.S. President Ronald Regan and General Secretary of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev work together to save the large marine mammals.

Twenty-two years later, Warner Bros. has picked up the rights to the story “Everybody Loves Whales” which is based on the book “Freeing the Whales” by Tom Rose.

Reports indicate that Drew Barrymore has signed on to play the role of a Greenpeace activist in the film. Ken Kwapis of “He’s Just Not That Into You” is set to direct. Additional casting information and dates for “Everybody Loves Whales” have not been announced but one would think a quick turnaround is to be expected in order to capitalize on the success of other oceanic awareness films like “The Cove.”

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