Disney will be taking a pretty big risk this December when it releases Into the Woods, a star-studded adaptation of the beloved but tricky Stephen Sondheim musical. Obviously, some of the racier aspects of the original play – like, say, the sexual tension between Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford in this adaptation) and the hungry Wolf (Johnny Depp) – have been sanitized, but Into the Woods, which clumps together classic fairy tales, seems like a bit of a tougher sell than something like Les Misérables. However, the all-star cast should help it find an audience.
Today, eleven new images from Into the Woods have arrived online ahead of the upcoming first trailer for the musical. In the shots, we get glimpses of Crawford’s Red Riding Hood, Depp’s Wolf and many others. In particular, the shots make me excited to see what Depp, known for disappearing into his characters, does with the meaty part of the Wolf – but I’ll also definitely be looking forward to seeing Anna Kendrick exercise her vocal chords as Cinderella as well.
In Into the Woods, Meryl Streep stars as The Witch, Emily Blunt plays The Baker’s Wife and James Corden takes on the part of the Baker. Anna Kendrick and Chris Pine play Cinderella and her prince, while Mackenzie Mauzy plays Rapunzel with Bill Magnussen as her prince. Other characters include Jack (Daniel Huttlestone), Jack’s Mother (Tracey Ullman), and Cinderella’s stepmother (Christine Baranski) and her stepsisters (Tammy Blanchard and Lucy Punch).
Rob Marshall (Chicago) directed Into the Woods, working from a screenplay by James Lapine. The film opens December 25th.
Into the Woods is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales in a musical format that follows the classic tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel-all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife, their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch who has put a curse on them.
