Caffeinated Clint
David O.Russell (“The Fighter”) is circling “Malificent”, the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ spin-off starring Angelina Jolie as the witch equivalent of a diazepam.
Tim Burton, who directed the similiar-themed “Alice in Wonderland”, also for Disney, had been attached to direct the project.
“Malificent”, penned by Linda Woolverton, tells the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ story through the eyes of the villain.
Russell had been attached to direct the feature film adaptation of the video game “Uncharted : Drake’s Fortune” (with Mark Wahlberg set to play the lead role) but recently exited the project, freeing up his schedule.
The filmmaker tells The Hollywood Reporter that he left the film over creative differences with Sony, who seemingly didn’t like his script.
“What can I say, I waded into those waters of the tentpole movies, and I wrote what I wanted to write, and I feel like I wrote my vision. And the rest is up to those guys. I can’t pick for those guys. I don’t know what they want to do over there. It’s just a parting of the ways creatively.”
O.Russell says he and “Fighter” star Mark Wahlberg have found something else to work on together, “The Silverlining’s Playbook”. The film might also feature Robert De Niro, who was being lined up to join Wahlberg in “Drake’s Fortune”.
“Silver Lining” is “a drama with comedy in it” tells O.Russell; “It’s like The Fighter – very emotional, very intense, but also probably more comedy in it. It’s about a family dealing with a lot of issue – stuff I do good, that’s in my wheelhouse.”
O’Russell also has a western, “Two Guns”, in the works and an action-drama called “Mission”.
But back to “Malificent”, do you think O.Russell is the right choice?
