Manson turns Queen

Marilyn Manson is to star in a new film version of "Alice In Wonderland".

The self-styled antichrist superstar will appear as the Queen of Hearts alongside Scottish actor Alan Cumming as the King of Hearts in "Living In Neon Dreams".

Manson told MTV: "I'm not just playing a drag queen, I'm playing a woman. There's a big difference, and there's more work to do on that, so I'm studying early Joan Crawford."

"I've been kind of watching the lady at home, picking up some characteristics. She can teach me how to put my stockings on straight, though I think I've already mastered that."

Manson, real name Brian Warner, will also be seen in an adaptation of J.T. LeRoy's cult novel "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things" as a child molester.

He continued: "I thought it would be more of a despicable character... But [LeRoy] said, 'No, no, he's not a villain, he's real pathetic, and he's a victim by way of circumstance'."

"I had to grow out some eyebrows and a week's unshaven look. It was a good experience. It was easy to be something else. I've always been theatrical."

"Living In Neon Dreams" starts filming in November in Berlin, Cape Town and South Africa for a late 2005 release.

Germany's Bild newspaper reported last week that Manson is expected to marry his girlfriend, burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese, during the Berlin shoot.