New Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Photo Teases an Awkward Family Reunion

Maleficent is returning in the long-awaited sequel to the 2014 original, and now we've got a new look at the anticipated film. A new photo from Maleficent: Mistress of Evil shows Aurora's adopted mother Maleficent (as well her right-hand raven Diablo) on one side of Aurora's (played by Elle Fanning) engagement party. On the other side of the area is Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer), who is set to be her mother-in-law and as we've seen in the trailers, is looking to become the main mother in Aurora's life. You can check out the new photo below (via USA Today).

This rather tense meeting teases the fireworks to come, and as we know from the trailers, that will result in a full-on war between Maleficent's forces and Queen Ingrith's army, but there is also more at play, as it seems Maleficent isn't the only one of her kind living here, and that could change things in a big way.

As we saw in the original Maleficent, there's far more to the character than we've seen in the past, so it remains to be seen if she is declaring war on Ingrith just because of a more territorial reaction or if there's something greater at play. Knowing Maleficent, there's probably another reason underneath the surface leading to her distrust of Ingrith, and we can't wait to find out more.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is directed by Joachim Rønning from a story by Linda Woolverton and a screenplay by Linda Woolverton and Micah Fitzerman-Blue & Noah Harpster, the film is produced by Joe Roth, Angelina Jolie and Duncan Henderson with Matt Smith, Jeff Kirschenbaum and Michael Vieira serving as executive producers.

"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."

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil hits theaters on October 18th.