It’s been roughly five years since Angelina Jolie said “I hate you” directly to a baby’s face in a Disney movie, and what a joy that was. Though 2014’s “Maleficent” wasn’t quite as memorable as its fierce lead performance, Jolie’s witty and regal turn as the “Sleeping Beauty” villain reimagined as an anti-hero was more than welcoming of another installment.
With original film director Robert Stromberg handing the reigns to “Kon Tiki” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” co-director Joachim Rønning, Maleficent will fly again this fall with “Maleficent” Mistress of Evil.”
The sequel sees quite an influx of talent, with Michelle Pfeiffer, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Harris Dickinson, Warwick Davis, and Ed Skerin joining the ensemble that already featured Elle Fanning, Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville, and Juno Temple.
The trailer looks to expand the “Maleficent” universe as the story of its lead character and Sleeping Beauty herself, Princess Aurora, with a host of new characters and new horizons to stretch into. If Jolie is as on-point as she was in the first film, just seeing her interact with Pfeiffer will be a treat.
Our awards expert Gregory Ellwood caught some footage from the new film at CinemaCon earlier this month and shared this of the work-in-progress footage. He describes the film as a bit of a royal brouhaha between the kingdoms of Aurora and Prince Philip (Dickinson, who subs in for Brenton Thwaites) as Philip’s mother, Queen Ingrith (Pfeiffer), gets involved. Here’s the official synopsis:
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” is a fantasy adventure that picks up several years after “Maleficent,” in which audiences learned of the events that hardened the heart of Disney’s most notorious villain and drove her to curse a baby Princess Aurora. The film continues to explore the complex relationship between the horned fairy and the soon to be Queen as they form new alliances and face new adversaries in their struggle to protect the moors and the magical creatures that reside within.
It’s exciting to hear that the film is going to pit two on-screen titans against each other in such a setting, as this is the best possible way to keep a story like this going and keep it fresh. Disney’s barrage of animation-to-live-action adaptations have been a mixed bag thus far, so here’s hoping this film can find ways to improve the original while still keeping Jolie’s dazzling performance intact.
Disney fans and curious onlookers alike will have a chance to catch this one once it hits theaters on October 18.