Tim Burton’s directing talents will return to theaters late next winter in his big-screen adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland.” The film doesn’t debut until March 5, 2010, but the movie trailer hit the internet this afternoon, one day in advance of Burton’s appearance at Comic-Con in San Diego. Burton will be showing scenes from the movie during his presentation at the fan comic festival tomorrow.
The “Alice in Wonderland” cast includes Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter (Burton’s fiancee since 2001) as The Red Queen, Alan Rickman as The Caterpillar and Anne Hathaway as The White Queen. Alice will be played by 10-year-old Mia Wasikowska, who portrayed Sophie in last year’s premiere season of “In Treatment” on HBO.
Burton, known for his eccentric moviemaking style, has a history of directing Depp and Bonham Carter in the same films, including “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (2005), “Corpse Bride” (2005) and “Sweeney Todd” (2007). Burton has also directed Depp in “Edward Scissorhands” (1990), “Ed Wood” (1994) and “Sleepy Hollow” (1999), and Bonham Carter in “Planet of the Apes” (2001) and “Big Fish” (2003).
I saw the trailer, and it appears that it will be Burton in all his off-the-wall glory, which I’m thinking will be a difficult film to market. There’s the big Disney Magic Kingdom at the start of the trailer, so we know this will be marketed to kids (like mine).
Kids that will have the pants scared off of them when they actually watch the movie.