6 Disney Villains We Want To Get The "Maleficent" Treatment, And Who Should Play Them
We love hearing the other side of the story: From Wicked to the Star Wars prequels, finding out why the meanest meanies are so darn mean has always made for good entertainment (and great box office). The most recent villain to take the lead is Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent, soon to be portrayed by Angelina Jolie in Disney's live-action summer blockbuster.
Should Maleficent be a hit (and really, how could it not be?), we’ve got some ideas for other animated Disney antagonists worthy of top billing.
6 Disney Villains We Want To Get The "Maleficent" Treatment—And Who Should Play Them
Lady Tremaine from Cinderella
Cinderella’s wicked stepmother serves such vicious attitude that she must have clawed her way to the top. We’re envisioning a story full of high-society backstabbing and mind games. (What exactly befell Cin's birth mom, anyway?) Cool, calculated bad-assery is right up Cate Blanchett’s alley, and rumors floated a couple years ago she was being eyed for the part.
Someone get Cate some puff shoulders and a cat to stroke and we'll root for her even as she's locking poor Cindy in the attic.
Madame Medusa from The Rescuers
This kidnapping pawnbroker kept crocodiles for pets and had an eye for diamonds larger than grapefruits. But what's her motivation? Who wouldn’t want to find out what drove MM to a life of swamp-dwelling crime and eye-shadow abuse? We’re thinking Toni Collette has the acting—and facial—range to nail this one.
Besides, she might have a perfectly good explanation for why Penny deserved to get snatched.
The Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland
A retelling of Alice in Wonderland might reveal that this murderous monarch is just misunderstood—or rightly peeved at the size-changing interloper who's invaded her kingdom. To embody a slightly volatile but still entirely lovable honcho, Roseanne is the obvious choice. She's learned a thing or two about being the leading lady in a man's world, even if it means cutting down those who have wronged you.
Madam Mim from The Sword in the Stone
Not the main villain in Disney's take on the Arthurian legend, Mim is nonetheless a formidable adversary for Merlin, with a personality that fills up the screen. A re-imagining of the film from her perspective would hopefully detail Mim's evolution from budding sorceress to nutty hermit. (And, really, is what American Horror Story Coven should have been.)
Judy Dench would be a lock for the old hag, but quirky comedian Judy Greer (Arrested Development) would be spellbinding as Mim in her younger days.
Gaston from Beauty and the Beast
Not all Disney villains are women. France's hottest, hairiest hunter might have a perfectly good reason for being such a bloodthirsty chauvinist. Or at least he'll claim to in his movie. Plus, it'll give us a chance to see Armie Hammer strutting through the countryside in tight pants and an open shirt. It's win-win.
Ursula the Sea Witch from The Little Mermaid
The underwater sorceress spends her first scenes lamenting how much better life was when she lived in King Triton's palace. While the cost of CGI tentacles, purple skin, lampreys, and other effects could make Ursula difficult to produce, it'd so be worth it. Mad Men siren Christina Hendricks certainly has the wiles needed to capture a vivacious version of the shapely octopod as she rises from seafaring socialite to exiled enchantress. And her version would also remind us that Ariel needed to learn how to show up to rehearsals on time.
