Angelina Jolie is deliciously 'Maleficent'

Maleficent, currently shooting in the English countryside, is due in 2014.

Maleficent, currently shooting in the English countryside, is due in 2014.

Use to be a time when Hollywood’s hunkiest stars would kill to play the good guy. Nowadays, their most stunning actresses are lining up to be the villains.

From evil queens to nasty witches, Oscar winners like Charlize Theron (in Snow White And The Huntsman) and now Angelina Jolie (in the upcoming Maleficent) are proving to be the go-to names for casting agents. Sure enough, critics and moviegoers are responding to their talent and beauty with plenty of acclaim and box-office buzz.

Charlize won raves for her portrayal of Queen Ravenna compared to the reviews received by Kristen Stewart for playing Snow White. And from the first images released from Angelina's new movie, it sure looks like her Maleficent is going to whip Elle Fanning’s Princess Aurora.

For those who have never seen the classic, original Sleeping Beauty animated feature by Disney, Maleficent is the sorceress whose curse on Aurora puts the princess into a timeless slumber—and we won't spoil the ending for you.

The film attacks the story from Maleficent's point of view, by prying into the circumstances that turned her from a potential fairy godmother into a vengeful witch. With those devilish eyes, sharp cheekbones and sinister horns, Angelina, 37, looks every bit the mistress of all evil from the 1959 classic, once voted as Disney's greatest villain.

And as Hollywood taps deeper and deeper into the fairytale genre for both big screen and small screen adaptations, like TV's hit fantasy drama Once Upon A Time, chances are we'll be seeing more of our favourite stars taking on juicier bad characters.

Meanwhile, studios are already scouting for the next real-life Belle, Cinderella and little mermaid. Emma Watson is trading in her Gryffindor witch's hat to play French muggle Belle in Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of Beauty And The Beast.

The Devil Wears Prada scribe Aline Brosh McKenna is working on a modern-day version of Cinderella. And The Little Mermaid is being given a new live-action lease of life by Hanna helmer Joe Wright. We can't wait to see who's going play the stepsisters and sea witch in these films.

And it looks like Hollywood isn't done milking the Snow White story either. In Disney's The Order Of The Seven, the dwarfs take centre stage in a major makeover that re-envisions them as an elite fighting group in—get this—19th century China.

Source: The Telegraph, E! Online

Image: Greg Williams/2012 Disney Enterprises Inc

Published: 21st June 2012

Comments (0)

Write comment
Your Contact Details:
Comment:
Security
Click on image to reload a new one
Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.