After ramping up the sex appeal in Oz: The Great and Powerful with three attractive actresses playing witches, it looks like Sam Raimi’s next choice is going for the good-natured goofball angle, with Zach Braff set to play a bumbling assistant to James Franco’s titular wizard.

He’s on for the role of Frank, the loyal, but undervalued assistant to Franco's wizard, who – we’re just guessing here – arrives with his boss in the magical land where three witches live. Michelle Williams is the prim and proper Glinda, Rachel Weisz the scheming Evanora and Mila Kunis the conflicted Theodora, who turns to the dark side when Franco rejects her romantic overtures.

Since he made a real impact with his directorial debut Garden State, things have been a little quieter for Braff, at least behind the camera. Acting-wise, he continued his work on TV’s Scrubs and scored a few roles in films such as The Last Kiss, The Ex and The High Cost of Living. But while he hasn’t been able to get another screenwriting/directing gig off the ground just yet, he has been busy forging a career as a playwright, with his first production, All New People, set to open in New York in July.

Oz will kick off shooting this July in Michigan ready for a planned US release date of March 8, 2013.