If you have been looking forward to seeing Angelina Jolie’s return as the evil witch Maleficent, we have some good news for you. Disney has announced that it is moving the release of the sequel to the 2014 film of the same name forward seven months from May of 2020 to October 18 of this year.
As of right now, Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil pretty much has that weekend to itself, outside of an untitled Blumhouse project being distributed by Universal.
The original film was a live action revisit to Disney’s classic Snow White animated feature, but told from the viewpoint of the evil witch, minus her demise at the end of the film.
According to Disney, the new film will be –
“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, “Maleficent II” continues to explore the complex relationship between the horned fairy (Angelina Jolie) and the soon to be Queen (Elle Fanning), as they form new alliances and face new adversaries in their struggle to protect the moors and the magical creatures that reside within.
Joining Jolie in returning from the original film are Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville. Michelle Pfeiffer, Ed Skrein and Chiwetel Ejiofor round out the cast. Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales helmer Joachim Ronning is directing.