MALEFICENT (Probably A Tim Burton Film) Finds Its Writer...

Merrick here...
The Hollywood Reporter says that scripter Linda Woolverton (ALICE IN WONDERLAND) will write the Tim Burton/SLEEPING BEAUTY-inspired project Harry first referenced back in January (details HERE.

Titled "Maleficent," the project will see Woolverton take a similar approach to 'Alice' in shaking up a classic tale — this time centering on the titular evil queen presumably offering a more sympathetic take to her story arc. In 1959's "Sleeping Beauty," Maleficent was portrayed as a green-skinned, sinister fairy who was the self-proclaimed the 'Mistress Of All Evil.' In fact, the name Maleficent itself means 'evil doer.'

...says THR HERE. Before we go any further, I'd like to extend a warm thanks, and a sincere tip-of-the-hat, to THR for mentioning AICN's initial break of this story. Such acknowledgment is often fleeting among industry trades...we appreciate this shout out. As I previously Tweeted, ALICE IN WONDERLAND felt perilously reminicent of a STAR WARS prequel at times - long scenes of no substance, dodgy CGI, dull excess. I've felt for a while that (as a director) Tim Burton has been struggling to find his films' heartbeats...which might be better accomplished by actually giving them some kind of heart/emotion to begin with. They're feeling increasingly hollow, and like they only exist so that Burton & minions can pay more attention to designing their universes than telling their stories. The warmth and spirit of his earlier work seems increasingly, frustratingly fleeting. But, what do I know? His movies make an assload of money, so all concerned must be doing something right.
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