It looks like Disney’s ready to once again take a journey down the rabbit hole. Variety is reporting that the studio wants to prepare a follow-up to its 2010 Johnny Depp-starring smash hit “Alice in Wonderland.” Linda Woolverton, who has written numerous Disney classics over the years like “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King,” is in line to continue the story.
While there are few details to report, other than the mere fact that this will happen in the foreseeable future, it seems to be running with Disney’s latest theme of big-budget retellings of classic children’s stories. The studio already has “Maleficent” in the works, with Angelina Jolie filling the wicked shoes of the “Sleeping Beauty” villain, and there has been casting buzz galore the last few weeks regarding their live-action version of “Cinderella.” It’s been rumored that Cate Blanchett is close to signing on as the evil stepmother, and 2008 “Atonement” Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan is apparently one of the front-runners for that coveted glass slipper
in the new adaptation from “One Hour Photo” director and music video pioneer Mark Romanek.
Well, enough about Cinderella and her footwear woes for the time being, all in due time. What more news of Alice and her Mad Hatter friend, you say?
Sadly there isn’t that much, as it hasn’t been addressed whether Tim Burton will once again return to the helm, or whether stars Mia Wasikowska and Johnny Depp will reprise their roles.
Even if all involved want to take a journey back to Wonderland, it may be difficult to get there, as all of the above-listed stars have pretty packed schedules. Wasikowska, whose star has risen exponentially since “Alice” came out, has 6 films in various stages of production; Depp has commitments to other popular franchises like “Pirates of the Caribbean” and the as-yet-unreleased “The Lone Ranger.” Tim Burton hasn’t announced any future projects so far, but personally I’d love to see him get back to some original material for the next venture. Maybe we’ll finally get that long-rumored “Beetlejuice” sequel??? A girl can dream.