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EXCLUSIVE: Disney has tapped Robert Stromberg to make his feature directorial debut on Maleficent, the Linda Woolverton-scripted revisionist take on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale that is being constructed as a star vehicle for Angelina Jolie to play the villainess. While Stromberg is new to the director’s chair, he is no stranger to dealing with big-ticket spectacle films. He has been production designer on Avatar and Alice In Wonderland, and Disney’s upcoming Oz The Great And Powerful. He also worked on visual effects for such films as 2012, Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End and Master And Commander. Joe Roth is producing.
This gives Disney feature heads Sean Bailey and Rich Ross another tentpole feature to complement the Marvel product, with A-list talent. Maleficent stacks up alongside Oz The Great And Powerful, and the Johnny Depp-starrer The Lone Ranger. Stromberg’s repped by UTA.
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They’ll need potential hits like this– after trying to force massive money sink holes like Real Steel down people’s throats.
Real Steel was DreamWorks. Disney (Touchstone) just distributed. Had nothing to do with Ross and Bailey.
Explain that to the general public.
Consumers brand studios the same way they do networks. A Dreamworks release via Disney means it is a Disney movie to 95% of all moviegoers.
I guarantee you that the public doesn’t care what studio it comes from. The movie appeals to the public or it doesn’t. But only the most involved film fan would keep track of studio hits and blunders.
I’m general public and all I remember of that movie is the Dreamworks logo at the beginning. I had no idea Disney was involved.
Amazing news. It’s about time somebody put him in the director’s chair. Can’t wait to see this!
Well an evil witch is the only role I ever said I’d watch of Jolie… she is a horrible over-actress, but was good playing crazy … should be fun to watch playing evil.
Way to go, Robert. Risky move for Disney putting a first-timer on, but he obviously has proven he has the imagination, and skill, for something like this. Love to see what he comes up with!
This is just another proof that this movie (as a lot more) is just another merchandise product. Whth a director like this one and all others lookalikes, the producers know that they have all the decissions in their hands and they don´t have to argue with any creative decissions. They hire these lind of directors because someone have to sing the film, but not for any creative purpose.
At last, they still hire people related with the movie bussines, but they would really wouldn´t dislike to hire a farm foreman if they could.
Think: in which other bussines the investors should hire someone with no experience at all to be the “captain”. Or think again: how many really important jobs have you got without any experience (and without being a relative of the Company’s owner?)
New to the English language?
Robert Stromberg has two Academy Awards as production designer of Avatar and Alice in Wonderland. If you really think this guy has no experience in film making, then I guarantee you that you do not even know the role of a production designer.
This was a great choice by Disney.
“revisionist.” Yawn……………….
Perhaps if she was first I would be more excited. But don’t we have two similar movies coming soon and one of which is developing great buzz? I mean geez, she gets first choice to turn down so many roles; turns down Gravity and who knows what else. I think she is a fascinating person but some of her choices I just don’t get and she does so few films lately. This sounds like it is going to be yet one more pedestrian project.
pedestrian? maleficent is one of the greatest villains in the disney canon. this is going to be awesome. with a script by linda woolvertoon it has so much more going for it than that cameron piece of crap avatar.
What’s sad is we’re still dealing with movies from the Dick Cook era of Disney. This film was talked about years ago under Cook’s regime.
It’ll look pretty, but so did Tron. De Montreil would have been a riskier but far more interesting choice to direct.
Robert spent 20 years working in visual fx as a matte painter and later a visual fx supervisor BEFORE he jumped into the Production Designer’s chair. His first 2 efforts as a production designer resulted in oscars…..it would not surprise me, if his thrid (Oz) does as well. Robert has worked with James Cameron, Tim Burton and Sam Raimi recently. ALL VISIONARIES. I only met him once, but this gentleman is very well respected in multiple creative fields, and is unbelievably talented, and clearly driven. I can not wait to see a Robert Stromberg helmed Maleficent.
Yeah, she’s a horrible actress. They only give Academy awards to the horrible ones. Everytime I see a negative comment about Angelina it’s from a woman; someone who’s probably either jealous of her or angry at her for stealing Brad Pitt (which she didn’t).
Uhhh. What the actual flying f*ck is this sudden thing with Snow White?
There are four *major* very Snow White-centered things I can think of off the top of my head.
Is Hollywood going to go systematically through each and every one of the Disney cartoons and remake the shit out of them??
Next one’d be Cinderella…
“Is Hollywood going to go systematically through each and every one of the Disney cartoons and remake the shit out of them??”
Technically, the majority of the Disney cartoons are remakes or adaptations of previous stories. The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, etc, were all written long before Disney bastardized them.
Maleficent is my all-time favorite Disney villain. I hope they don’t make this some ridiculous, revisionist, sympathetic take on Maleficent, a la Wicked.
As for Robert Stromberg, the production designs of Avatar and Alice in Wonderland are certainly not what made those movies suck.
Robert is an incredibly talented and brilliant artist. I am consistently impressed by the quality of work he delivers and am very excited to see his directorial debut.