Considering Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland made over $1 billion globally when it came out back in 2010, we all knew that the film would eventually generate a sequel - the main question was "when." Rumblings began earlier this year when The Muppets director James Bobin was rumored for the director's chair, and then a summer report said that Depp was in negotiations to reprise his role as the crazy Mad Hatter, but now the Walt Disney Company has made it official. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has officially placed Alice in Wonderland 2 on their release calendar and has signed deals not only with both Bobin and Depp but also Alice herself, Mia Wasikowska.
Despite having many important pieces in place, preparation and production for Alice in Wonderland 2 won't be a quick process, which would explain why the movie has been placed so far in the future. Disney has dated the sequel for May 27, 2016, making it already the sixth film that the studio has scheduled for that year. Other titles include two untitled Marvel Studios projects, Pixar's Finding Dory, and two Disney Animation releases. Also expected to come out in summer 2016 is Johnny Depp's next adventure as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales - though Disney has yet to officially place that one on the calendar.
Alice in Wonderland 2 isn't the only new film with a release date either. In addition to the blockbuster sequel, Disney has also revealed that the recently announced Jungle Book remake - which will be directed by Jon Favreau - is going to be heading to theaters on October 9, 2015. Despite how crowded the 2015 release calendar is, amazingly the new Rudyard Kipling adaptation is currently the only title on the schedule for that month. Also officially launching a precise countdown clock to its debut is Ron Howard's adaptation of the survival story In The Heart of the Sea, which is now set to come out on March 13, 2013. Warner Bros. will be counting on the prestige and star power of Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, and Brendan Gleeson as the film will be premiering the same week as Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella.
Are you excited for Alice in Wonderland 2? Are you happy that Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska are coming back to reprise their roles from the first film? Do you think that James Bobin is is good choice as director? Hit the comments to tell us what you think about this new announcement and refresh your memory of Burton's movie with the trailer below:
