The start of production on “Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass” isn't the only Tim Burton news happening. Additionally, newly released are the first two images (below) from the Burton-directed “Big Eyes.”
The stills, which first appeared in USA Today, show Amy Adams by herself painting in one image, and with Christoph Waltz in the other. In both, Adams is seen with one of the “big eyes” paintings of the film's title.
Burton's new movie, which opens on December 25, is based on the true story of Margaret and Walter Keane, with Adams and Waltz taking on the two roles. The Keanes met in the 1950s and gained fame from their paintings of children with large, sad eyes, which were terribly popular in the '50s and '60s.
Eventually the marriage fell apart and a battle ensued over whether Margaret or Walter was actually responsible for the work. Walter initially claimed credit, but it was Margaret who was responsible for the work.
Speaking to USA Today, Adams explained, “Margaret really believed that as a woman, people would not buy her art. [Walter] convinced her the life they were able to lead was because the artist was a man, who could sell more art at a higher price than a woman.”
While Walter was not, in fact, responsible for the paintings, that doesn't mean Waltz sees him as all bad. “I admire Walter Keane for his marketing,” the two-time Oscar winner told the outlet. “For being able to sustain that scam for so long and how he managed to climb the ladder from literally the bottom. I am not completely against him at all. She was part of it. She knew, that changes everything.”
Also starring Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman, Terence Stamp, and Danny Huston, “Big Eyes” is being distributed by The Weinstein Company.