Rickman and Lee Join Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Acclaimed Brit thespians Alan Rickman and Christopher Lee have signed onto Tim Burton's now-shooting Alice in Wonderland.
DigitalSpy reported that Rickman (Harry Potter) will play the hookah-smoking Caterpillar in the film, which is a combination of live action and CGI. Lord of the Rings actor Lee's character has not been announced.

Led by Australian ingenue Mia Wasikowska as the titular heroine, the star-studded cast already includes Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean) as the Mad Hatter, Anne Hathaway (Get Smart) as the White Queen, Helena Bonham Carter (Sweeney Todd) as the amalgamated "Red Queen of Hearts", Crispin Glover (Beowulf) as the Knave of Hearts, Matt Lucas (Astro Boy) as Tweedledee & Tweedledum and Michael Sheen (Underworld) in an undisclosed role (rumored to be the Cheshire Cat).

Many see Burton (Batman) as the ideal filmmaker to bring a fresh approach to Lewis Carroll's exotic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the most famous cinematic version of which is Walt Disney's 1951 animated feature (Burton's not a fan of that "bland and blunted" treatment).

"The story is obviously a classic with iconic images and ideas and thoughts. But with all the movie versions, well, I've just never seen one that really had any impact to me," Burton told the LA Times' GEOFF BOUCHER on October 15th. "The goal is to try to make it an engaging movie where you get some of the psychology and kind of bring a freshness but also keep the classic nature of Alice. And, you know, getting to do it in 3-D fits the material quite well."

Alice in Wonderland is scheduled for release on 5 March 2010.



[Thanks to Sci Fi Wire for the link.]
0 Yes
0 No
PAnthony
10/28/2008
Digital Spy (UK)