In an interview with ComingSoon.net, Angelina Jolie confirmed she is in talks to star in the Tim Burton directed Maleficent, a live-action take on the horned villainess from Disney’s classic 1959 animated film, Sleeping Beauty.
“We’re so in the early stages. [It doesn’t have] a script. But I’ve loved Malificent since I was a little girl, so when I heard somebody may be doing it, I was the first one to try to [get it]. I would love to work with [Tim Burton], it would be a dream to work with him. I think he’s just extraordinary.“
And in other animated-to-live-action movie news: Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid is being developed with Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride and Prejudice) attached to direct, and Paramount Pictures just picked up a pitch for a Pirates of the Caribbean-esque take on The Hunchback of Notre Dame. With producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Transformers, G.I. Joe) and Mark Vahradian attached to the latter project, expect a big-budget and lots of special effects.
These last two movies are not directly related to the classic Disney versions, but this isn’t the first time we’ve heard news of fairy-tale-based Disney characters making the live-action transition. The upcoming Arabian Nights 3D adventure (starring Liam Hemsworth and Anthony Hopkins) will feature Aladdin and his Genie.
But Disney’s not ignoring the animation-to-live-action trend. With the astounding financial success of Tim Burton’s and Johnny Depp’s Alice in Wonderland earlier this year, Disney recently announced a live-action Cinderella project, with Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia!, Dear John) set to star in the title role. This will be a direct remake of the classic 1950 animated film.
What do you think about making live-action versions of animated films? Like book adaptations, comic adaptations and sequels, will this become the next movie trend in Hollywood? What are some animated movies you’d like to see get the live-action treatment?
Sources: ComingSoon.net, WorstPreviews
