Angelina Jolie is in the midst of formulating her return to the movie scene following recent personal troubles.
The Hollywood Reporter brings word that the actress-producer-director is mulling over multiple projects, including the long-rumored Maleficent 2. Last we checked in on the fantastical sequel, screenwriter Linda Woolverton merely confirmed its existence – “this very minute, it’s blinking at my computer.” That was almost nine months ago, and though THR alludes to the Maleficent follow-up during its exhaustive interview, there’s no mention of a tangible update.
Beyond the realm of dark fantasy and vengeful fairies, Jolie is reportedly eyeing not one, but two large-scale Universal projects. The first is an adaptation of Simon Sebag Montefiore’s Catherine the Great and Potemkin: The Imperial Love Affair, which chronicles the fiery love affair between the eponymous Russian ruler and Prince Grigory Potemkin. There’s also mention of an espionage thriller based on Clare Mulley’s tome The Spy Who Loved. Both projects are early on in development, with THR stressing that negotiations are still underway.
The same can be said about Angelina Jolie’s return to directing. Without Blood, Alessandro Baricco’s 2004 war novel, has been earmarked as a potential vehicle for the Hollywood veteran, who last stepped behind the lens to helm Unbroken, a melodramatic yarn that pulled in a respectable $116 million domestically. All of these projects may come at the expense of Wanted 2 and a Salt sequel, and Jolie looks set to double down on more character-driven material going forward.
Indeed, the only sequel that has caught her eye is Maleficent 2. It’s going on three years since the screen icon brought Disney’s vengeful fairy to life, and though Jon Favreau’s record-breaking rendition of The Jungle Book is often credited as the film to jump-start the company’s current slate of live-action movies, Robert Stromberg’s Maleficent was arguably the one to popularize the trend back in 2014. Is the time right for Jolie and Disney to revisit the Moors and the surrounding kingdom? Let us know what you think down below.