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I’ve reported less on forthcoming Disney movies than I used to, now that I’ve learned how the whole studio machine works. I don’t believe rumors of a film until filming actually starts and we see some production photos. That’s why I’ve said very little about Disney’s live action Maleficent film.
I first heard rumblings about Disney wanting to make a live action movie about one of their most popular villains back when Tim Burton made his feature length “Alice in Wonderland.” At the time the rumor was that Burton wanted to direct. After hearing that I assumed that Helena Bonham-Carter would take the lead, as she’s always in his movies, and, hey, she’d be good in the part, if a bit like Bellatrix Lestrange.
After that I didn’t hear much about the Maleficent movie. I assumed it was all just rumors or wasn’t happening anymore. The latter theory gained speed when a year or so later I heard that Burton was no longer attached to the project. For all I knew he never had been.
Yet another year passed, and I started hearing Angelina Jolie’s name being floated for Maleficent. As more time went on I kept hearing that more and more, but I still didn’t give it credence. I’ve been burned by reports of possible movies in the past (though apparently “The Snow Queen” is back on, now titled “Frost,” but I’m not going to take the news seriously until I see actual work being done on it), so I didn’t pay it much mind.
Well, I can report that “Maleficent” is definitely happening. The movie might get a name change before it reaches theaters, but there can be no question of its existence. We’ve gotten our first glimpse of Jolie as Maleficent and she looks stunning, absolutely perfect. Much more like the character than Kristin Bauer van Straten in “Once Upon A Time,” though the show is trying to do its own thing so its characters shouldn’t be just like their Disney counterparts, and I liked van Straten.
All we see is Jolie’s face, her eyes glowing gold, the horned headpiece firmly in place. There’s something ominous about her expression that leaves me intrigued. It’s a great teaser for the film, which is due out in 2014.
Now that we know a Maleficent movie is definitely happening, we can begin to speculate upon it. Based on the casting I’m getting a “Wicked” vibe off this film; “The Secret Life of an American Teenager” actress India Eisley is listed as playing a young Maleficent, and fourteen-year-old Elle Fanning (Dakota’s younger sister) is signed to play Princess Aurora.
I like the idea of doing a “Wicked”-style retelling of the story from Maleficent’s point of view. She was always so fabulous, we knew there had to be more to her than a typical mustache-twirling villain. I hope that the movie doesn’t go full-on “Wicked,” though, and posit that Maleficent really is a good guy, like Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West). I like her as a villain and though it’d be fun to know her back story, I want her to stay the villain.
What are your thoughts on the Maleficent film? Is Jolie a good casting choice? Should Maleficent stay a baddie or become the hero?
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*(This image by Phil South is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
