‘Maleficent’ Sequel In Development

Though the involvement of one Angelina Jolie is still up in the air, Disney has made its first step in putting together a sequel last year’s remake hit, ‘Maleficent,’ as Deadline reports that the studio has hired Linda Woolverton to pen the follow-up. Woolverton previously wrote ‘The Lion King’ way back in 1994 and has since penned another hit remake in 2010 with Tim Burton’s ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ and has also written its sequel, ‘Alice Through the Looking Glass.’ The film that really launched Disney’s new wave of remakes of their classic animated films, ‘Maleficent’ grossed nearly $760 million at the box office, as the story told the classic tale of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ from the perspective of the titular evil witch.

While the sequel is certainly being written with the idea that Jolie would return to reprise her role, her starring is far from a sure-thing, as she’s currently both one of the most sought-after actresses and directors in Hollywood. Having recently finished filming her romantic drama ‘By the Sea’ along with her husband Brad Pitt, Jolie has the ivory-poacher drama ‘Africa’ in the works with a script from Eric Roth, and returns to voice Tigress in DreamWorks’ ‘Kung Fu Panda 3.’ It’s also unclear whether Robert Stromberg, the Oscar-winning production designer who made his directorial debut with ‘Maleficent,’ will be returning.

Along the with ‘Alice in Wonderland’ sequel, Disney has slated a huge number of live-action remakes, including ‘The Jungle Book’ from Jon Favreau, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ starring Emma Watson, ‘Dumbo’ with Tim Burton, and ‘Mulan,’ produced by Chris Bender and J.C. Spink.

The latest from Jolie, as well as Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, ‘By the Sea’ will arrive in theaters November 13, 2015. Stay tuned here for more.