Maleficent Moves Forward With Or Without Tim Burton

Disney sets Alice In Wonderland writer to work on a live action film based on the Witch Queen in Sleeping Beauty

Disney has hired Alice In Wonderland writer Linda Woolverton to start work on the script, according to The Hollywood Reporter ’s Heat Vision Blog . Tim Burton has been linked to the project, but it's only one of a number of projects he’s considering.

The film would tell the story of Maleficent from her point of view, so it sounds a bit like the musical Wicked , which fill in the backstory for the Wicked Witch Of The West from The Wizard Of Oz . Except Maleficent probably won’t be a musical, and considering how dark and evil she is in Sleeping Beauty , there’s certainly potential for the kind of dark fairtytale beloved of Burton. The only thing the film really must have, though, is Maleficent transforming into a bloody great dragon – that was the best part of Sleeping Beauty .

Woolverton has previously contributed script work on other Disney films such as Beauty And The Beast and The Lion King .

Dave Golder
Freelance Writer

Dave is a TV and film journalist who specializes in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He's written books about film posters and post-apocalypses, alongside writing for SFX Magazine for many years.