First Look at Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, More in 'Into the Woods' (PHOTOS)

It might be sacrilege to narrow down the works of Stephen Sondheim to one project, but for my money, Into the Woods is not only Sondheim's best work, it's one of the greatest musicals ever written. So Disney, along with director Rob Marshall, have a HUGE task ahead of them.

The movie releases in December, but Entertainment Weekly is offering the very first look at Johnny Depp as the Big Bad Wolf, Meryl Streep as The Witch, Anna Kendrick as Cinderella and more, by releasing four collector's edition covers for this week's issue.

“I didn’t want this to look like a cartoon world,” says Marshall, in the exclusive cover story. “It’s not sunny, sunny, sunny—we wanted a sense of danger.”

And that sense of danger is pervasive in the twisty, almost Tim Burton-esque backdrop for the covers. In a very literal sense, the first look photos take us Into the Woods, giving a glimpse into the story, which centers on a childless Baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) on a mission through an enchanted forest to break a Witch’s curse. Of course, this is no normal forest -- the place is packed with all manner of colorful fairy tale characters, from Cinderella to Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy). It's a wonderful story, and it looks like the production team has nailed the overall look and tone of the film, which is as dark as it is enchanting. Check out the four covers below:

Read the cover story and check out more photos by picking up this week's new issue of Entertainment Weekly, which hits newsstands this Friday. And get hyped for Into the Woods, which releases in theaters on Christmas Day. Hell, I know I'm going to be.

Via: Entertainment Weekly