Hot off the announcement that Chiwetel Ejiofor (
Doctor Strange)
would join the already well-rounded cast of the upcoming sequel, we have news today announcing that British actress Judith Shekoni (
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn) has come aboard as well. Shekoni will star as Shrike, a character who befriends the titular Queen, Maleficent. Production has been underway for about a week now in the UK at the Pinewood Studios, as well as various other locations across the country.
Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning will reunite for one more go as they reprise their roles as the title Queen and Princess Aurora in the follow-up, which picks up several years after the end of the first film.
Maleficent was loosely based on Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, but little is yet known about the sequel. It's suffice to say that the sequel will have definite expectations to live up to, as some fans and critics weren't too keen on the first installment. However, the first film earned over $750 million at the worldwide box office in 2014, so either way, it will probably make money.
"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 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."
The film will be directed by Joachim Rønning (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales). Along with the previously mentioned Jolie, Ejiofor, and Fanning, the film will also star Ed Skrein (Deadpool), Juno Temple (The Dark Knight Rises) and Michelle Pfeiffer (Ant-Man and the Wasp).
Maleficent II hits theaters sometime in 2019.
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