Michelle Pfeiffer is close to closing a deal to star in Maleficent 2 as the queen. Pfeiffer would join Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning in the sequel, alongside new cast member Ed Skrein (Deadpool). Pfeiffer would be playing the queen in the sequel to the 2014 fantasy film, which was a massive hit that grossed $758.5 million worldwide.
The film will be directed by Joachim Ronning (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) with a script by Linda Woolverton (Maleficent) and Jez Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow). Story details are still under wraps for the sequel to the re-imagining of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty , whose success has inspired multiple reboots of classic Disney villains. Disney is already in pre-production on Cruella, a 101 Dalmatians prequel that delves into the life of the young Cruella de Vil. Emma Stone is attached to play the titular role, with Aline Brosh McKenna (Crazy Ex Girlfriend) set to pen the script with Jez Butterworth. Alex Timbers (Mozart in the Jungle) is set to direct.
After taking time off to raise her children, Michelle Pfeiffer is back with a vengeance. The former Catwoman has appeared in supporting roles in Darren Arnofsky’s Mother! and Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express, as well as playing Bernie Madoff’s wife in HBO’s Wizard of Lies, which earned her an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actress.
Maleficent‘s success has also kicked off a wave of highly lucrative live-action reboots for Disney. The studio followed up by revisiting classic animated titles like The Jungle Book, Cinderella, and most recently Beauty and Beast, which earned over $1.2 billion dollars, making it the highest grossing live-action musical film of all time.
Disney shows no signs of slowing down, with a live-action version of The Lion King helmed by Jon Favreau in production, starring Donald Glover and Beyonce. The studio recently hired Niki Caro (Whale Rider) to direct its upcoming take on Mulan, followed by Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin.
(via Variety, image: OLGA AKMEN/AFP/Getty Images)
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