Disney is busy mining its history, with movies based on Sleeping Beauty villain Maleficent and also the Disneyland rollercoaster Matterhorn. Now both those films have found directors, with the studio going for first-timers on both, which should give them a bit more control and also keep costs down.
Deadline reports Robert Stromberg has been set to to direct Maleficent. He has served as production designer on big-budget projects such as Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, and the upcoming Oz: The Great and Powerful, so he certainly knows how to create a fantastical world. His background in visual effects on the likes of 2012 and Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End won’t hurt either.
The project has been without a director since May, when the loosely attached Tim Burton stepped away. High-profile directors such as David Yates, Darren Aronofsky, David O. Russell, and Guillermo del Toro were rumored as possible replacements over the past few months.
Linda Woolverton (Alice in Wonderland) wrote the screenplay for Maleficent, which puts a revisionist spin on the Sleeping Beauty villain, telling the story from her perspective. Angelina Jolie is still attached to portray the title character.
The Matterhorn film, which is currently going by the less than catchy name of Untitled Disney Mountain Project (the studio says that it’s not officially based on the theme park ride), has signed music video and commercials director Brian Beletic, according to Deadline.
Jason Dean Hall is on scripting duty for the film, which revolves around a group of thrill-seeking adventurers who head to the alps for skiing, snowboarding, and mountain climbing. Along the way, they discover a deadly mountain secret, fighting for their lives against a covert organization, not to mention the harsh conditions. Disney is hoping to create some incredible mountain footage, hiring professional snowboarding filmers as consultants.
There’s no news on exactly when the projects might go ahead,
General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser
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