Elle Fanning joins Nicolas Winding Refn's L.A. Horror 'The Neon Demon'

Back when Nicolas Winding Refn first started talking about his film I Walk with the Dead, he described it as an L.A. horror with a lot of sex. It may have taken awhile for the film, retitled The Neon Demon, to get moving but now that Refn is ready to roll he's found a star who has never starred in a film that promises to be so provocative.

Elle Fanning has taken the lead role in The Neon Demon, meaning that Carey Mulligan is no longer attached as had been suspected. Confirmed for a spring shoot just a couple of months ago with Cliff Martinez scoring and Philippe Le Sourd (The Grandmaster) providing the cinematography, the film has been most recently described as a "horror film about vicious beauty". Refn and Mary Laws co-wrote the script, with Fanning playing an aspiring model who is caught in a world of beauty and demise. Doesn't sound like the kind of role we'd expect out of Fanning which makes this all the more intriguing. She's been consistently edging her way up by taking more mature roles, like last year's drug-fueled biopic, Low Down. 

Clearly Refn is excited to be working with Fanning on this, tweeting "Elle Fanning is a super cool wonder woman and I look forward to going on a terrifying trip with her into ‘The Neon Demon."

Filming on The Neon Demon is to begin this spring

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Rumored Shortlist for Jean Grey and Cyclops in 'X-men: Apocalypse'

Now that the X-men franchise's complicated timeline has been repaired thanks to X-men: Days of Future Past, Bryan Singer and Co. are looking to recast some of the roles you're familiar with. We've known all along that we could see younger versions of Cyclops and Jean Grey in 2016's X-men: Apocalypse, which is to be set in the 1980s, and now we're learning who 20th Century Fox has in mind to play them.

The Wrap says Hailee Steinfeld, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Elle Fanning are at the top of the list for Jean Grey, the red-headed telepath/telekinetic who eventually becomes the all-powerful Phoenix. As for Cyclops, the list includes unknowns Ben Hardy, Charlie Rowe (Red Band Society) and Timothee Chalamet (Interstellar). What we don't know is how much of a role the mutant couple will have, although it's expected they'll be sticking around for future films and that will play into the casting process. In other words, Fox is looking for talents who can grow into the roles and become bigger stars. Unfortunately, that means James Marsden and Famke Janssen will have to find something else to do.

X-men: Apocalypse opens May 27th 2016.

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Middleburg Review: 'Low Down' starring John Hawkes and Elle Fanning

The story of jazz pianist Joe Albany is one we've heard before: talented in music, not so successful in life. The drug-addicted musician was one of the few Caucasian pianists respected in the genre, but his personal demons held back would could have been an even greater career. With Low Down, debuting director Jeff Preiss recreates the dying jazz music scene of 1970s Los Angeles in faithfully despairing tones, matched only by a bleak and stagnant mood that is a complete and utter drag.

The film isn't so much about Albany as his daughter, Amy-Jo (Elle Fanning), whose memoir inspires this tale of a troubling tale of drugs, bad parenting, and stunted childhoods. The always-great John Hawkes plays Joe, the father she loves even though he will do nothing but disappoint her forever. When the film begins we see him being arrested, slammed up against a car right in front of her eyes, just after a fleeting moment of happiness. Such moments continue to be fleeting on the rare occasions they occur in this desolate picture. Told mostly from Amy-Jo's perspective, there's also very little actual jazz to be heard, or at least not enough for those who appreciate the genre and know Albany's music. Drugs and a weird assortment of afflicted characters populate Amy-Jo's world, which is just the rundown crack den of an apartment complex she calls home. Joe's "friends" stop by all the time for a visit; him awkwardly coming up with excuses to duck out and get high. Amy-Jo adores her father to a fault, or as she puts it early on her love for him is "out of proportion". She will forgive him anything, he loves her but not enough to change his ways. Her estranged mother (Lena Headey) is far worse; an alcoholic with a poisonous attitude. Only Amy-Jo's battle ax of a grandmother (Glenn Close) and brief fling with an epileptic boy (Caleb Landry Jones) offer a brief glimmer of hope. Don't count on it to last. Not even strange appearances by Peter Dinklage, Flea, and Orange is the New Black's Taryn Manning can uplift this film's dank spirits.

On the flipside, though, that was probably what Preiss was going for. Clearly, he knew Albany's story was going to be one long wet blanket, but did he have to go quite so far? The audience is rarely given a moment to stop and breathe, to steady themselves for the latest awful twist of fate to occur. Shot with painstaking detail in naturally dark undertones by cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt (The Bling Ring), he nails the mood Preiss was aiming for, even if it's not the most pleasing to the eye. Then again, Low Down isn't meant to be a pleasing movie; the producers admitted as much during a special Q&A after its screening here in Middleburg. So that begs the question, "Who is this movie for?" Maybe those who appreciate the talents of Hawkes and Fanning, who are both predictably good here, but too bad you'll be too miserable to care. Low Down is a terminally depressing, low-key film that will leave anyone who sees it in a complete funk.

Rating: 2 out of 5

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Review: 'Young Ones' starring Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult, and Elle Fanning

It's a shame that so many attempts to blend the sci-fi and Western genres fail because the two, while seemingly polar opposites from an aesthetic standpoint, actually go together quite naturally. Jake Paltrow (Gwyneth's younger bro) seems to get it, though. His thematically sprawling and gorgeously photographed film Young Ones may be set in a post-apocalyptic future, but it's not an action movie and there are no alien space ships to be found anywhere. Any war is between men, desperate and ambitious men living in a world devoid of life's fundamental building block.

Dusty and barren; Young Ones takes on an Earth ravaged by drought. Not the kind of drought that makes Californians take shorter showers, but the kind that destroys all life. What few people remain have either scattered to the big cities or scattered to the wind, but stubborn Earnest Holm refuses to leave his plot of land, protecting what little he has with a trusty rifle to ward off thieves. Earnest is a tough but generous man, with a capable son in Jerome (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and rebellious daughter Mary (Elle Fanning), the latter anxious to flee her boring life and shack up with bad boy Flem Lever (Nicholas Hoult). The circumstances demand a certain "wild wild west" attitude to problem solving. It's basically "do whatever it takes to survive", and for Earnest, a former alcoholic, that means selling liquor on the side and using what little water he can find to keep his family alive. "Pray for rain", he says, holding out a firm belief that his dry, cracked land is still fertile. All it needs is enough water.

Interestingly, Paltrow uses a three-pronged narrative, a triptych in the vein of The Place Beyond the Pines, to guide us through this sandy wasteland of broken dreams. The first chapter follows Earnest, and it's easily the best with the indomitable presence of Michael Shannon demanding our attention. His Earnest is a brilliant man, vulnerable and giving but capable of violence. It's the rare opportunity to see Shannon play someone who isn't completely unhinged, but is a figure to be looked up to and respected. One chapter "hands off" to the next and the approach brings us deeper into lives of the three main protagonists, all of whom happen to be the men. Mary, who is flighty and somewhat naive, is basically just another prize to be won in a place that has precious few things worth fighting for. The problem with Paltrow's approach is that it's tough to maintain high quality throughout, and the tone is inconsistent. Hoult's chapter, which focuses heavily on themes of guilt and greed, loses something without Shannon acting as his foil. The final act, centering largely on family legacy, is too broad for Paltrow's simply constructed story to bear.

Drawing influences from The Road, the Westerns of John Ford, and a little bit of Mad Max, Young Ones is a completely unique visual experience. Shot in the scorching, sunbaked deserts of South Africa, the cinematography by Giles Nuttgens may leave you feeling a little bit parched. Special effects aren't really needed, as a result, and what must have been a limited budget goes to the robotic "mule" that becomes a cold, steely character in its own right. But most impressive is Paltrow's dedication to the material, fully-developing this torrid world that is never dry for us to behold.

Young Ones is available now On Demand here. 

 Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Review: Laika's 'The Boxtrolls' featuring Ben Kingsley, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, and Elle Fanning

Everybody loves and respects the stop-motion animated films by Laika, the talented Portland, OR animators behind Coraline and ParaNorman. Those two films achieved great critical acclaim; widely praised for both their beauty and darker, supernatural themes. Neither was a huge box office hit, though, which must be frustrating given the thousands of man hours the studio puts in and never let us forget. Their latest film The Boxtrolls is perhaps their first stab at doing something that will achieve wider acceptance, but those who appreciated their more mature work may find it lacking.

The Boxtrolls is, like everything Laika does, exceptionally gorgeous and detailed. The amount they are able to put in to every scene is mind-blowing when one considers the time it takes to move each figure a single frame. And this world is the weirdest they've conjured up yet. The fictional sorta-Victorian town of Cheesebridge is a peculiar place where cheese in all its many forms is revered, especially by those of higher social standing, who all wear white hats as indicators of their stature. Underneath the city live the Boxtrolls, a family of ogre-ish creatures who emerge in the night looking for tossed aside trinkets and knick-knacks. They've been portrayed as monsters that kidnap children and eat them, a story concocted after a young boy's disappearance. He's actually quite alive, named Eggs (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) and living with the boxtrolls who raised him. Eggs has no idea that he's actually human, which galls Winnie (Elle Fanning), the daughter of Lord Portley-Rind (Jared Harris). Threatened by the Boxtrolls' existence, Portley-Rind has hires devious exterminator Archibald Snatcher (Ben Kingsley) to finish them off. Snatcher's all too happy to do it in exchange for receiving a white hat so he can eat cheese with the upper crust of society, this despite a chronic (and utterly disgusting) inability to tolerate the stuff. When Snatcher proves too good at his job, capturing nearly all of the Boxtrolls, it's up to Eggs to brave the city and find them.

Laika has never shied away from tackling complex subjects, and The Boxtrolls is their most overt social commentary yet, which is a very good thing. While it's toned down for younger audiences, the film celebrates family diversity in the familial bond between Eggs and the boxtrolls who care for him most, Shoe and Fish. The closeness between them is never in question, and those paying attention will note that both of Eggs' boxtroll "parents" are males. It's one of those small details that kids will grow into and appreciate. Laika has always been one to embrace its "outsider" status in Hollywood and their films have often embraced a certain counter-culture spirit. The Boxtrolls is no different in its celebration of diversity and skewering of hierarchal societies. These qualities are enjoyable but muddled by an overstuffed screenplay that tacks on one conflict after another. There's Eggs' reluctance to leave his boxtroll upbringing and embrace his human side; Snatcher's scheming to climb the social ladder; Winny's desire to gain her daddy's favor; and the emergence of a daffy inventor (Simon Pegg) with very close ties to Eggs. It's simply too much going on, and yet there are still too many times when the film drags to a screeching halt, and that may have something to do with it not being all that funny. This may be a matter of personal taste but the Python-esque, dry British wit isn't everyone's slice of cheddar. Throw in giant mechanical robots, gross-out gags, oversized wheels of cheese, Snatcher as a drag queen, and the humor is too childish and busy to come together as satisfying as it should.

Nothing can take away from how beautiful the world co-directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi have helped create. It truly looks like no other Laika film which is really saying something. Combining steampunk with the offbeat style of Tim Burton, it’s an imaginative visual stunner that you will never get tired of looking at. What Laika is able to accomplish on a technical level is to be admired as much as their social concerns, but The Boxtrollsjust doesn't resonate in quite the way we're used to from them.

 Rating: 2.5 out of 5

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John Hawkes and Elle Fanning get Jazzy in Trailers for 'Low Down'

Sundance films first screened at the festival in January continue to make their way into theaters, but they don't carry the same level of positive buzz. One that made a lot of noise, both good and bad, was Low Down, the jazz music biopic on bebop pianist Joe Albany. John Hawkes, who was at the at the festival two years ago for The Sessions, plays Albany as he struggles with a heroin addiction that derailed a promising career. The story is told from the perspective of his daughter Amy Jo (Elle Fanning), who wrote the memoir the film is based on.

Reviews out of Sundance were mixed although, including one from my Addicted to Film pal Tim Gordon who called it one of the most depressing movies he ever saw. But the response was strong to both Hawkes and Fanning, and with a release right around the corner now could be when Low Down starts getting some attention again.

Directed by Jeff Priess with  Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Glenn Close, Tim Daly, Taryn Manning, Billy Drago, River Ross and Flea co-starring, Low Down opens in limited release on October 24th.

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Ben Affleck Casts Elle Fanning, Zoe Saldana, and Sienna Miller in 'Live by Night'

 Before he ever put on the Bat-suit, Ben Affleck had been planning to direct Live by Night, an adaptation The Given Day by Gone Baby Gone author Dennis Lehane. But Affleck set aside his directorial follow-up to Argo so he could join Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and probably Justice League. But Live by Night isn't far from his thoughts, and now Affleck has just cast a trio of female leads to star.

Elle Fanning, Zoe Saldana, and Sienna Miller have come aboard the Prohibitian-era film, which centers on Joe Coughlin, who gets involved with organized crime despite being the son of a police captain. It's not clear if Affleck will take on the Coughlin role himself at this point. Miller will play Emma, a woman Coughlin falls in love with early on; Saldana is Graciella Suarez, a woman he gets involved with while in Tampa, Floria; and Fanning has landed the coveted role of Loretta Figgis, the troubled daughter of a sheriff. Chances are one of these roles is the one Lindsay Lohan was rumored to have been sought for last year.

Live by Night opens October 7th 2016, setting it firmly in Oscar territory just like Affleck's Argo and The Town. [Deadline]

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Maika Monroe Rides 'The 5th Wave'; Diane Lane and Elle Fanning Join 'Trumbo'; Alice Eve is a 'Criminal'

 Zac Efron and Dennis Quaid may have received the bulk of the praise for Ramin Bahrani's underrated At Any Price, but I was completely taken by the performance of co-star Maika Monroe. Hollywood has noticed, and now Monroe is moving to her biggest film yet, taking a role opposite Chloe Grace Moretz in the YA adaptation, The 5th Wave. Nick Robinson (The Kings of Summer) and Alex Roe have the male leads while Liev Schreiber is in final talks to play the villain in the story of Cassie Sullivan (Moretz), one of the last remaining humans on an Earth ravaged by waves of alien attacks. When her little brother goes missing she goes on the run to find him during the fifth alien invasion. J Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed) is directing for release on January 19th 2016. Monroe will be seen next in The Guest, starring Dan Stevens. [TheWrap]

Diane Lane and Elle Fanning have joined Trumbo, Jay Roach's biopic on blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Bryan Cranston stars in the title role with Helen Mirren, John Goodman, and Michael Stuhlbarg on board the film about how Trumbo was accused by Senator McCarthy's House Committee on Un-American Activities and was sent to prison for refusing to testify. Under a pseudonym Trumbo went on to win two Academy Awards while blacklisted.

Ariel Vromen (The Iceman) is rounding up a strong cast for his follow-up, Criminal. Alice Eve has joined Kevin Costner, Ryan Reynolds, Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Oldman in the story of "a dead CIA operative's memories are implanted into a dangerous convict in hopes that he will stop a diabolical plot."[THR]

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Domhnall Gleeson Joins 'The Revenant'; Elle Fanning Leads Haifa al-Mansour's 'A Storm in the Stars'

 Domhnall Gleeson is lining up a damn good list of recent co-stars. He'll be seen later this year opposite Michael Fassbender, Scoot McNairy, and Maggie Gyllenhaal in the awesome music comedy, Frank. He's currently shooting Star Wars: Episode VII which stars everybody you loved as a kid plus Oscar Isaac and Lupita Nyong'o. And now he'll be teaming up with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy for The Revenant, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's upcoming revenge thriller. Co-starring Will Poulter, the film takes place in the 19th century and follows a frontiersman who seeks revenge on the men who left him for dead after being mauled by a bear. [Variety]

Wadjda director Haifa al-Mansour has cast Elle Fanning as author Mary Shelley in A Storm in the Stars. The film follows  "the tumultuous love affair between dangerously charismatic poet Percy Shelley and the brilliant and beautiful 18-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft." Filming is set for next year, but before then you can hear Fanning in Laika's The Boxtrolls this fall. [THR]

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The World is Scorched Dry in New Trailer for 'Young Ones', Starring Michael Shannon and Nicholas Hoult

Seen one scorched apocalyptic future and you've seen them all, right? Well, maybe not. Buzz has been swelling for Jake Paltrow's sci-fi film, Young Ones, ever since a pair of trailers hit a couple of weeks back. And there's good reason why as the film seems to balance science fiction and Western to make for a compelling human drama set in a world without water. Oh, and did we mention it stars Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Elle Fanning?

The latest trailer is brief, more of a teaser really, and introduces a rundown robot companion (based on Google's BigDog) into the mix, giving the film a little bit of a Star Wars quality. But nifty special effects seem to be secondary to the moral dilemma at the heart of this story, with Shannon and Hoult's characters due for a showdown over land rights. Complicating matters is Hoult having married Shannon's daughter, which ought to make for some awkward dinner conversation.

Young Ones has finally been granted a release date of October 17th.

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Elle Fanning to Star in Neil Gaiman's 'How to Talk to Girls at Parties'

The ever brilliant author Neil Gaiman is known just as much for his short stories as he is for novels, and we've seen many of his works adapted to the big screen. Coraline, Stardust, Neverwhere (my personal favorite), and even his comics run on Sandman have either hit theaters or will in the future. That doesn't even count developing projects like the American Gods TV series or a film version of The Graveyard Book. Basically, Gaiman is a literary titan and Hollywood knows it, which is why his Hugo Award-nominated short How to Talk to Girls at Parties will be adapted next.

THR reports that Elle Fanning will take the lead in the film, to be directed by John Cameron Mitchell. It's an interesting move for Mitchell who has impressed with character films like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Shortbus, and Rabbit Hole. 'How to Talk to Girls' is a sci-fi story about two high school boys, one shy the other a little more confident, who talk to three strange girls at a party only to learn they're not not your average females. Mitchell will co-write the script with Philippa Goslett and expand the short into a love story by having Fanning's extraterrestrial character exploring London with a schoolboy and punk musician. So kind of like a comedic Under the Skin?

Fanning can be seen in theaters now in Maleficent.If you're interested in reading How to Talk to Girls at Parties in its entirety, just check out Gaiman's official site.

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First Trailers for 'Young Ones' Starring Nicholas Hoult, Elle Fanning, and Michael Shannon

Sometimes having a great cast and a prime slot at Sundance doesn't work out so well. Such was the case for Young Ones, a post-disaster film from Jake Kasdan (Gwyneth's bro) who came to the festival seven years ago for his debut, The Good Night. This is only his second feature and it appears he will again feature a great cast while struggling to get the film some attention as it currently doesn't have a release date.

Picked up a couple of months ago by Screen Media, Young Ones should eventually be seen in theaters or On Demand based solely on the talent involved. Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Michael Shannon, and Kodi Smit-McPhee star in the dystopian drama set in a scorched world where water is extremely scarce and families are forced to do whatever they can to survive. Kasdan seems to be trying to combine Western and sci-fi sensibilities, always a tricky thing, and reviews for the film were decidedly mixed. That said, this trailer is mighty impressive, has a distinctive look to it, and there's every reason to trust in the cast.

Check out two trailer versions below, followed by some new images. Hopefully we'll see Young Ones released later this year.

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Two Beautiful Trailers for Laika's 'The Boxtrolls'

By my count we've seen four trailers for the gorgeous, stop motion-animated The Boxtrolls, and now we have two more. Either the geniuses at Laika, who have already given us two champion animated films in Coraline and ParaNorman, are extremely proud of their latest work or they're concerned it will fly under the radar. Either way, the latest footage is typically beautiful and magical while maintaining the studio's fondness for the creepy. Set in the fictional Victorian town of Cheesebridge, the story centers on an orphan boy named Eggs (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) who is raised by underground trash-stealing trolls. Ben Kingsley voices the exterminator hired to exterminate the trolls once and for all, while Elle Fanning, Toni Collette, Simon Pegg, Jared Harris, Nick Frost, and Tracy Morgan do some voicing of their own.

The Boxtrolls is set to finally open September 26th.


The Boxtrolls International Trailer by CGMeetup

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Review: 'Maleficent' Starring Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning

There's a very good reason why Maleficent is Disney's most notorious villain, appearing in video games and other films in all her dastardly glory. The Sleeping Beauty antagonist was straight-up evil and reveled in that wickedness, and along with her obsidian visage, willingness to kill an innocent girl, and ability to transform into a dragon (!!!) she has earned a spot as one incredible animated heel. But Maleficent, billed as a total reimagining of the Sleeping Beauty story, attempts to soften her into just another villain with a secret heart of gold, and in the process they take away what made her interesting in the first place.

Disney, who seem to be on a kick of revamping their animated classics into forgettable live-action films, have put their trust in debut director Robert Stromberg, the guy largely responsible for the elaborate, soulless look of Oz the Great and Powerful and Alice in Wonderland. Maleficent suffers from the same sterility brought on by an overabundance of digital effects, bleeding into a story that fails to offer much of a human quality and not nearly enough of Angelina Jolie (and her awesome cheekbones!) vamping it up. That's not to say she isn't terrific because Jolie embodies Maleficent so utterly that it makes the film's deficiencies elsewhere all the more obvious, and those problems begin with the severe deviations from the source material.

The Maleficent we are treated to was a happy young fairy, living amongst the magical creatures of the Moors, a lush, natural fantasy land separated from the humans. With her powerful wings, Maleficent soars through the air and is innocent of heart until she encounters Stefan, a young human boy who wandered into the Moors to steal something. She should have taken the hint, but instead Maleficent and Stefan fall in love, enjoying one another's company until he grows older and obsessed with becoming king. In a shocking, too-disturbing-for-kids act of betrayal, Stefan (now played by Sharlto Copley) takes the one thing in the world she loves most so that he can attain the throne.

It's at this point when the film briefly settles into normalcy and shines as Maleficent, all angry and literally green with rage, crashes a party at the castle celebrating the birth of Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning). Swatting aside the three nice-but-annoying fairies (Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville, Juno Temple), she casts the familiar convoluted curse that would have Aurora pricking her finger on a spindle and falling into an eternal sleep, all by the age of 16. This is Jolie's truest moment to really show her wicked side, and she eats up the opportunity and goes in for a second helping. For a short while Stromberg and screenwriter Linda Woolverton (also of Alice in Wonderland) give the film a jolt of life that sadly goes missing the instant this scene draws to a close in a puff of green smoke.

From that point on it becomes abundantly clear that Disney never thought beyond the "let's make a Maleficent movie" stage because they fail to give the character a clear motivation. Aurora, now a teenager living with her three bumbling fairy guardians (Why are they morons, anyway?) is never given a personality to speak of. All we see of her is through the incompetence of her caretakers, and when they prove unable to watch over her it is Maleficent who, for reasons unknown, becomes her watchful fairy godmother. As Stefan sinks into a paranoid haze, Aurora and Maleficent are off bonding and playing with weird creatures, but really there is nothing of value going on for the entire second act.  Little effort is made to show us what is going on inside the heads of either Maleficent or Aurora, confusing for a film that seems to exist largely to be a source of empowerment to young women. To that end the male characters, specifically the handsome Prince Philip (Brenton Thwaites), are refashioned entirely or shifted into the background. Sam Riley is decent comic relief as Maleficent's shape-changing raven, Dieval, and more than any other has a real connection with Jolie.

Maleficent marks a wasted opportunity by Disney and Stromberg to present a truly devilish take on an old favorite. Jolie brings the fire and her formidable aura to the role but Maleficent's wings are clipped by a script that never offers a clear path for the character to take. Even if that path is one of pure wicked evil it would have been preferable to being dull and misunderstood.

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Final Trailer for Disney's 'Maleficent' Starring Angelina Jolie

What are the reasons that Disney's most notorious villain, Maleficent, became so evil in the first place? What drove her to such dastardly lengths seen in Sleeping Beauty? The answer to that question will arrive when Maleficent hits theaters in just a few weeks, but with Disney's overzealous marketing push they are making it very clear they want us to perceive her in a totally different light.

Directed by Robert Stromberg with a script by Linda Woolverton (Alice in Wonderland), the film will be driven by Angelina Jolie's performance as the infamous evil queen. The story will be told from her perspective and clue us in to the reasons behind her actions, and there's a very heavy emphasis on the history of the story. Disney really wants us to know how painstakingly faithful the film will be so it will be interesting to see how they pull off making Maleficent sympathetic.

Co-starring Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Sharlto Copley, Juno Temple, and Imelda Staunton, Maleficent opens May 30th.

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New Footage in the Japanese 'Maleficent' Trailer

At least on the domestic front Disney seems to have calmed down shoving Maleficent in our faces, for the time being, anyway. But there are other international markets out there still to be conquered, and so we have a brand new Japanese trailer with some never-before-seen footage of Angelina Jolie as the titular Sleeping Beauty villain. Directed by Robert Stromberg and starring Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Sharlto Copley, and more, the film tells the classic fairy tale from Maleficent's evil perspective.

Maleficent opens May 30th.


Maleficent Japanese Trailer by itsartmag

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The Sleeping Beauty Legacy Inspires New 'Maleficent' Trailer

Although Disney's Maleficent is live-action and tells the Sleeping Beauty story from the villain's perspective, it's still sticking very close to the source material. There's a great animated lineage director Robert Stromberg is building from, and that legacy is a big part of the latest trailer. Angelina Jolie dons some nasty horns as the title character, in what looks like a deliciously evil lead performance. Elle Fanning is Princess Aurora, surrounded by a supporting cast that includes Sam Riley, Sharlto Copley, Brenton Thwaites, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Miranda Richardson, and Lesley Manville.

Maleficent opens May 30th 2014. Check out the trailer and plot synopsis below.


Maleficent Trailer 3 - Legacy by Stuff We Like

PLOT: “Maleficent” is the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the 1959 classic “Sleeping Beauty.” A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land’s fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal—an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading king’s successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom—and perhaps to Maleficent’s true happiness as well.

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New Photos of Angelina Jolie as Disney's 'Maleficent'

”It is really funny when people say you’d be obvious for a great villain, ", Angelina Jolie told EW in an interview about Disney's Maleficent, in which she plays the notorious Sleeping Beauty villain. And she's probably right, but Jolie has long been considered one of the toughest actresses in Hollywood with a string of high-profile action roles, which made her the perfect choice to tweak that persona just a little bit towards the dark side.

EW has released a batch of new photos from Maleficent, a retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty story told from the villain's perspective. Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Sharlto Copley, and Brenton Thwaites co-star, along with a brief appearance by Jolie and Brad Pitt's daughter, Vivienne. Jolie talks about acting with her daughter for the first time, as well as the purpose behind focusing the story on Maleficent...

Jolie:  “The exercise wasn’t how can we have fun with a villain? It was: What turns people evil and vile and aggressive and cruel? What could have possibly happened to her?”

Directed by Robert Stromberg, Maleficent opens May 30th. 

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