“But… before the sun sets on her 16th birthday, she shall prick her finger, on the spindle of a spinning wheel – AND DIE!”

So says the infamous Disney villain, Maleficent, the antagonist of the classic 1959 film, Sleeping Beauty. Maleficent is one of the more nefarious characters that Disney has created, and is going to have her own live-action movie in 2014.  With Angelina Jolie in the title role, her take on Maleficent as a cold, mysterious, yet beautiful sorceress looks very promising.  Other notable roles are Elle Fanning as Aurora, Sharlto Copley as Stefan (who was Aurora’s father in the animation).  Robert Stromberg, who also was the production designer of other big-budget fantasy movies such as Oz: The Great and Powerful, Avatar, and Alice in Wonderland will be directing Maleficent, and is assisted by scriptwriter Linda Woolverton, who is known for penning Disney classics such as the Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.

This movie won’t be a remake of Sleeping Beauty — instead it will focus on the life of Maleficent before she was betrayed and turned from an innocent fairy into a ruthless sorceress. Aurora will not be the villain of the movie, and the audience will supposedly understand why Maleficent is the way she is, having placed such a terrible curse on an infant.

“… It’s the first time they’re looking at this epic woman. […] I hope in the end you see a woman who is capable of being many things, and just because she protects herself and is aggressive, it doesn’t mean she can’t have other [warmer] qualities,” said Jolie in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

The teaser has limited dialogue, but the featured movie clips look very cool. Elle Fanning provides the main voiceover in the beginning, accompanied by scenes of young Aurora being watched by a dark figure in the distance. “Come out,” she challenges, just as the camera cuts to a teenage Aurora, standing in a dark woodland. The shadowy figure she is talking to only replies, “Then you’ll be afraid.” Jolie then steps out in her dark cloak, spooky horns, and bright green eyes. Maleficent is soon shown creating a wall of thorns, and using her sinister green flames. The teaser ends with Maleficent’s haunting laugh, the only noise echoing through the darkness.

Jolie was interviewed by MTV, and she commented on how she was especially pleased to be playing Maleficent. “I loved her when I was a little girl. She was my favorite.”  Maleficent will be in theaters May 30th, 2014. Check out the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=704EXbJ-b5k.