Angelina Jolie is reportedly interested in starring in Tim Burton's rumored next project, Maleficent. But is Jolie really the best actress for Disney's most iconic villain? Here's our list of women who have already proved they're worthy of dragon transformation.
First and foremost let's take a look at the mighty Maleficent, from the original Sleeping Beauty...
That's right — she rides in on lightning, turns into green fire, has the best cape-and-cane accessory combination that can silence a crowd, she curses a baby To Death, and later turns into a dragon. This woman is a bad-ass. You do not screw with Maleficent.
And according to the LA Times, Angelina Jolie wants the part, even though there is no script, confirmed director or even any idea what it's about. All we know is that is it will be a Maleficent-centric film. Whether or not they attempt to redeem this character is up to them — although we hope they don't.
And with that all in mind, we decided to break down exactly who we think should play Maleficent, starting with Angelina as a jumping point.
Angelina Jolie
Pros: Angelina is gorgeous. Maleficent, while green-skinned, is truly the best dressed and arguably the best-looking Disney villain. Jolie might be able to pull off her look. Plus she's proven she can be as bad as she wants, playing the mother of a demon in Beowulf among other things.
Cons: This actress has never met a terrible accent she didn't love. And Maleficent has a bit of a song in her voice, so we'd hate her to Alexander this role. Also can she do camp and not make it cheesy but still get the audience to laugh?
Tilda Swinton
Pros: Speaking of camp — there is no actress who knows how to marry drama and humor better then Swinton. We laughed at the White Witch when she was forced to stumble across the world of Narnia on her sled, but shuddered when she wielded the big bad Lion-stabbing knife.
Cons: Perhaps a bit too gender-neutral? Maleficent is all about throwing womanly airs. Have you seen her cape?
Rachel Weisz
Pros: We've seen her play the good girl over and over, she's got bad in her. It's waiting to get out and this would be the perfect role for a solid actress to branch out. UPDATE: She does have bad, let's not forget the evil witch she played inThe Shape of Things, as I was just reminded of in the comments, thank you. Her take on the manipulative art student was so cruel I almost couldn't watch the finale of the film, it was too harsh.
Cons: Maybe she isn't as bad as we imagine her to be. We could be wrong — we have been before.
Susan Sarandon
Pros: Has proven she can walk the walk, wear the cape, and has dragon transformation experience thanks to her Maleficent-lite character from Enchanted.
Con: The evil queen was kind of the worst part of Enchanted.
Kate Winslet
Pros: As with Weisz, we know there's camp in her, dying to get out. She proved that with her brilliant cameo in Extras. Plus, we want to see Winslet get mean.
Cons: Can't really imagine she would ever take this role, even if offered. Is it too late to get her in roles like this?
Image via Worth 1000's evil celebrity clowns.
Michelle Pfeiffer
Pros: Like many of the women here, she's proved herself to be a baddy again and again. If you can make riding in a goat-pulled sleigh scary (in Stardust), you can make anything scary.
Cons: Pheiffer might be a tiny bit too old for this role, depending on when they begin in the script.
Nicole Kidman
Pros: Has mastered the ice-queen stare and delivery.
Cons: Maleficent may be too high-drama to interest this actress, but Kidman rarely turns away from a challenge.
Sigourney Weaver
Pros: The queen of the genre, Weaver can be whatever we ask but she always comes on strong, and has evil-queen experience.
Cons: Again with the age, but it all depends on the script.
picture via IGN
Rachel McAdams
Pros: Knows how to deliver dialogue that will stab you right through the heart. She was the girl that gave a face to the term "mean girl."
Cons: Might be too young, but if they do start earlier in her life, say the thirties, we'd love to see McAdams get a shot at this. She can make just about any character personal, which will probably be a big issue with this character-driven script.