Tim Burton is set to capitalise on the success of Alice in Wonderland by remaking another childrens’ favourite: Sleeping Beauty, with Angelina Jolie in talks to play the villain
Flushed with the success of his Alice in Wonderland, Tim Burton is poised to tackle another childrens’ classic with his live-action version of Sleeping Beauty. Angelina Jolie is reportedly in talks to star as Maleficent, the wicked fairy who takes her revenge on an adolescent princess.
Sleeping Beauty remains best known for its incarnation as a 1959 Disney animation, though it traces its lineage back to the 1697 story The Beauty Asleep in the Woods, by the French author Charles Perrault. The film charts the misfortunes of a princess who pricks her finger on a magic spinning wheel and is plunged into an enchanted slumber. Final casting for Burton’s version has yet to be announced.
Burton broke opening weekend records with Alice in Wonderland, which has gone on to earn nearly $700m at the global box office. Jolie, 34, is currently shooting The Tourist on location in Europe. Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, the thriller casts Jolie opposite Tim Burton’s regular collaborator Johnny Depp.
