Angelina Jolie Discusses Disney's MALEFICENT

On the heels of their immense success with Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, Walt Disney Pictures began putting epic fantasy films in production such as Sam Raimi's Oz: The Great and Powerful and a retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the point of view of the film's famous villain Maleficent. Making her return to live-action feature film acting after the dismal 2010 film The Tourist and her directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey, Angelina Jolie will take up the role of Princess Aurora's wicked arch-nemesis in her first Disney film. When asked about the film, which starts production in June for a possible late 2013-early 2014 release, Jolie explained her character's side of the story:

It sounds really crazy to say that there will be something that’s good for young girls in this, because it sounds like you’re saying they should be a villain. [Maleficent] is actually a great person, but she’s not perfect. She’s far from perfect... In general, it’s a very good message to say, “let’s look at something from the other side.” But then also, what our challenge will be — and the script writer [Linda Woolverton] has already cracked it — is not to simplify it, not to just reverse the story but tell a bigger story that doesn’t point the finger [at Princess Aurora] either. It doesn’t flip it.

The film is led by first-time director Robert Strumberg, who as a production designer has won Oscars for Avatar and Alice in Wonderland, so you can imagine how wild and interesting the film will look before a single frame of the film is shot. When asked about her character's look, Jolie continued, "I’ve already got my horns fitted. My kids are very happy... We’re still figuring out the look. We’re experimenting with different things. But the horns are the horns – you can’t deny them. You have to have horns." Are you excited to see Angelina Jolie as one of the most popular Disney villains?