PICTURE: It's Angelina Jolie as Maleficent!

Because every famous actress has to play an evil queen at least once in her career (thems the rules!) here’s Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, in Disney’s Maleficent, which is set to open March 14th, 2014. Yes, 2014. While I would guess they released it now to capitalize on the Snow White & the Huntsman momentum, the official word is that Disney released it to commemorate the beginning of principle photography, which started June 13th.

The film marks the directorial debut for Robert Stromberg, an Academy Award winning production designer (Avatar, Alice in Wonderland).
Elle Fanning stars as Aurora and Sharlto Copley is Stefan, the half-human and half-fairy bastard son of the human king. Juno Temple, Imelda Staunton and Lesley Manville play the three pixie fairies. [THR]

If you’re anything like me, you probably have a hard time keeping your Maleficents straight from your Snow Whites and your Sleeping Beauties, but here’s what Wikipedia has to say:

Maleficent is a fictional character and the main antagonist in Walt Disney’s 1959 adaptation of Sleeping Beauty. She is the self-proclaimed “Mistress of All Evil” who, after not being invited to the baby’s christening, curses the infant Princess Aurora to “prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die” before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday. The character is Disney’s half-dragon adaptation of the evil fairy godmother from the original fairy tale.

Sleeping Beauty of course is a separate fairy tale from Snow White, even though they both involve an evil witch, a sleeping princess, and good prince. Then there’s Wicked, which was actually about the witch from Wizard of Oz. Basically, it seems like we’re pretty well stocked up on fictional witches. These movies, shows, plays, etc. always seem like big production designer circle jerks, and great fun for the actors who get to wear cool costumes and act all big and actorsy, but kind of boring for everyone else. But there’s still two years until this comes out, so maybe I’ll grow to appreciate it by then. Who knows! Who knows how much I’ll grow! Tomorrow is unwritten!

If it wasn’t Disney, I’d have my fingers crossed for a topless milk bath.

×