‘Maleficent 2’ Wraps Production

Disney’s Maleficent sequel has wrapped, director Joachim Rønning announced on Instagram.

“That’s a wrap on Maleficent 2 — and what a ride it’s been,” Rønning wrote in an Instagram post accompanied by a cast and crew photo, thanking his “amazing” United Kingdom crew from the Pinewood Studios set.

Disney has shot at Pinewood for some of its biggest productions, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, Marvel Studios productions Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the upcoming The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, Mary Poppins Returns, and Dumbo.

Angelina Jolie reprises the titular role as the sometimes-malevolent dark fairy, and is again joined by returning star Elle Fanning as Princess Aurora. Harris Dickinson (Trust) joined as Prince Phillip, taking over from Brenton Thwaites, alongside franchise newcomers Ed Skrein (Deadpool), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Doctor Strange) and Michelle Pfeiffer (Ant-Man and the Wasp) as Queen Ingrith.

Plot details remain under wraps. The first film, released in 2014, put a live-action twist on Walt Disney’s 1959 animated classic Sleeping Beauty, telling the story from the perspective of a more sympathetic Maleficent.

Hailing from an enchanted valley known as the Moors, Maleficent depicted Jolie’s anti-hero as a betrayed fairy who upon the loss of her wings transforms into the darkest magical being in the land. Among the earliest Disney live-action re-imaginings, the film grossed more than $758 million worldwide.

“I am now the breadwinner for the family, so it’s time,” director-slash-actor Jolie said last September of her return to acting following her split from husband Brad Pitt in 2016. Of the Maleficent sequel, Jolie said the follow-up is “a really strong sequel.”

Maleficent helped usher in the modern era of Disney live-action re-imaginings: the first film followed Tim Burton’s $1 billion-plus-grosser Alice in Wonderland and the sequel comes on the heels of Cinderella ($543m), The Jungle Book ($966m), and the Emma Watson-led Beauty and the Beast ($1.26b).

Burton’s Dumbo will soar next, out March 29, followed by the Guy Ritchie-directed Aladdin May 24 and the Jon Favreau-directed The Lion King July 19. Mulan hits March 27, 2020, followed by Maleficent 2 May 29, 2020. Disney is now developing a live-action spin on The Little Mermaid and original Walt Disney classic Pinocchio.