2012 is the year of retelling “Snow White” with a spotlight on the evil queen (as played by Julia Roberts in “Mirror Mirror” and Charlize Theron in “Snow White and the Huntsman”), but two years from now, the villain of “Sleeping Beauty” will get her own lead role in “Maleficent.” Disney announced Monday that the Angelina Jolie-starring film will hit theaters on March 14, 2014.

Exploring the origins of the evil fairy godmother in 1959’s animated “Sleeping Beauty,” this live-action feature will reveal what leads Maleficent to curse Aurora to spindle-induced slumber.

Coming from a trio of filmmakers who all worked on Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” the movie is written by Linda Woolverton (“Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King”), produced by Joe Roth (“Knight and Day,” "Snow White and the Huntsman") and will be the directorial debut of Robert Stromberg, who won art direction Oscars for “Avatar” and “Alice in Wonderland.”

Jolie publicly confirmed her participation last month, when she told Entertainment Weekly that the project is "not anti-princess, but it’s the first time they’re looking at this epic woman… I’m having a lot of fun. I’ve already got my horns fitted. My kids are very happy."

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– Emily Rome

Photo: Maleficent in Disney's 1959 animated feature. Credit: Walt Disney Studios