While the dark sorceress received mixed reviews for her first big screen solo outing, 2014’s Maleficent did have a rather impressive run at the box office, ranking as the fourth highest-grossing release of that year. So, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that production is very much underway for Maleficent II, the sequel to Disney’s live action revisionist take on the classic Sleeping Beauty antagonist.
Naturally, the eponymous dark fairy will be once more played by Angelina Jolie, whose commanding performance in the first Maleficent impressed even the film’s detractors. Elle Fanning will also be returning as Princess Aurora, and earlier today, the actress shared a new set photo on Instagram, showing herself and Jolie having some fun.
“It’s bring your mom to work day on the #Maleficent2 set!!!!!” reads the caption to Fanning’s selfie, which features Jolie posing in the background while donning Maleficent’s trademark horns, though she’s clearly in a sunnier mood than you’ll usually find this vengeful character.
Not much is known yet about the upcoming picture, except that it’ll take place a few years after the events of the first film and will continue to chronicle the complicated relationship between these two leads as they struggle to protect the moors and the magical creatures that reside within. Michelle Pfeiffer, Ed Skrein, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Harris Dickinson have all been confirmed for the cast, and Joachim Rønning – director of last year’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and co-director of the Oscar-nominated Kon-tiki – will be taking the helm.
Grossing $758.5 million at the box office, Maleficent was amongst the first in the ongoing trend of live action Disney reboots that continues with planned adaptations of Dumbo, Aladdin, The Lion King and Mulan. As of yet, there’s no release date for when the sequel may hit, but as soon as we learn more we’ll let you know.
