Los Angeles, May 15 (IANS): Actor Johnny Depp, who will be seen playing role of Mad Hatter in Disney's forthcoming film “Alice Through the Looking Glass”, says he has always admired English actor Sacha Baron Cohen.

“Sacha is someone I have always admired for so, so long. We have done a couple of things together and then when I saw him come in (on the sets of 'Alice...') all decked out as Time, it made perfect sense,” Depp said in a statement.

There have been many renditions of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale -- “Alice in Wonderland” - but few have been touted to be as exciting as Tim Burton’s 2010 outing.

Starring Mia Wasikowska, Time Burton and Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” took the audience on a delightful journey across wonderland in Burton’s signature eccentric style.

After six years, Burton returns this time as producer for Disney’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass”.

The film is set three years after the events of “Alice in Wonderland”, Alice has spent the past few years following in her father’s footsteps and sailing the high seas.

While the story follows Carroll’s book, it is the idea of making Time a character - played by Sacha Baron Cohen - that sets the film apart.

Depp added: “The very idea, of an actor playing Time in an 'Alice in Wonderland' film is magnificent. Truly, the only person you could bring in to play Time is Sacha; and for so many reasons! Because you can have all the expectations in the world and he would do the absolute opposite, which is fantastic because it makes it so wonderful to improvise with him.”

“Alice Through the Looking Glass” stars Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Sacha, Martin Sheen, Stephen Fry and Alan Rickman amongst others and hits Indian screens on May 27.

The film's director James Bobin also explained his choice of casting Sacha as Time. He said: “Sacha, who is all of those things as an actor. Sacha is excellent at playing the confident idiot, and a confident idiot is my favourite type of character.”