ET on the 'Oz The Great and Powerful' Set!

Oz The Great and Powerful doesn't land in theaters until next year, and before we premiere the film's first exciting trailer this Thursday afternoon on ETonline, we exclusively have the first footage from the set!

ET's Mark Steines spent time exploring the incredible, imaginative production of the Sam Raimi film -- with 28 different sets occupying seven sound stages in Detroit -- and talked with Mila Kunis, who plays one of the film's three witches, and Oz himself, James Franco!

Related: 'Oz The Great and Powerful' is Coming!

"In the original L. Frank Baum books there are many witches and creatures, many more than were in the original [Wizard of Oz]," says James. "This Oz is a little different. You get to see a lot more of who this Oz is... The search for [his heart] is one of the main themes of this movie."

"I do think it captures the magic of the original," says Mila, who read Baum's Oz books as a child in Russia. "But it's completely different. In my opinion, a little bit darker, a little more grounded. There is no singing, there is no dancing."

Related: Buy Dorothy's Ruby Slippers

Disney's fantastical adventure -- which imagines the origins of Baum's beloved title character -- stars James as Oscar Diggs, a small-time circus magician and flimflam man with dubious ethics. Hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he first thinks he's hit the jackpot -- until he meets three witches, Theodora (Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting.

Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil and put his own magical talents to the test to transform himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz, but a better man as well.

Also starring Zach Braff, Oz The Great and Powerful lands in theaters March 8, 2013.