Tim Burton Chooses His Alice

Tim Burton has chosen a virtually unknown Australian actress to take on the lead role in his eagerly awaited adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. 18 year old Mia Wasikowska was chosen from thousands of hopefuls to play heroine, Alice, in Burton's take on the Lewis Carroll classic. Johnny Depp has already been tipped to play the Mad Hatter in the film, which is set for release in 2010. Wasikowska said of her new role "I'm so so excited. The book's really intrigued me when I was little and I've always loved the story. She also revealed she is a big fan of Burtons previous work, stating I really love Edward Scissorhands and Big Fish." The news will come as a blow to Lindsay Lohan who was said to be desperate to win the role and revive her flailing acting career. Earlier this year Wasikowska was chosen as one of only 2 actresses to receive a Heath Ledger scholarship which was set up to help young Aussie performers in memory of the late actor.