‘Maleficent’ Finds A Director In Production Designer And VFX Supervisor Robert Stromberg
Over the past two years, Disney’sSleeping BeautyretellingMaleficenthas attracted the attention of several high-profile directors.Tim Burtonwas the first oneattachedto the project, back when it was first announced, andDarren Aronofsky,David O. Russell, andGuillermo del Toroare among the other names who’ve been rumored or who have expressed interest in the film.
The man who’s actually landed the job, however, is somewhat lesser known. Disney has tapped visual effects supervisor and production designerRobert Strombergto helm the film, which will mark his directorial debut. Previously announced starAngelina Jolieis still set to play the lead. More details after the jump.
If I’m being honest, the announcement comes as a tiny bit of a letdown after the big names that have been circulating for the past several months. But there’s no reason to believe he won’t do well in his first time in the director’s chair, and I suppose everyone has to start somewhere.
Scripted byAlice in WonderlandscribeLinda Woolverton,Maleficentfollows the Sleeping Beauty tale from the villainess' point of view. Jolie has been attached to star as the self-titled “Mistress of All Evil” since 2010.Maleficentfalls neatly into the revisionist fairy tale trend that’s hot in Hollywood at the moment, along with such movies asSnow White and the Huntsman,Mirror, Mirror, andHansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. And asDeadlinenotes, it should also prove an appropriate complement to the rest of Disney’s upcoming slate, which also include Sam Raimi’sWizard of OzprequelOz: The Great and Powerfuland Gore Verbinski’sThe Lone Ranger.
