Maleficent 2 will film in London starting this April
Disney is ramping up production of their Maleficent sequel with Norwegian director Joachim Rønning (Pirates 5, Marco Polo) and Angelina Jolie reprising the titular role.
According to reports, the movie has entered pre-production and is set to begin filming on April 16th in London with an expected wrap date aiming for August 2018.
Maleficent debuted in 2014 as an American dark fantasy film. The movie featured Jolie alongside Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, and Lesley Manville in supporting roles. Loosely inspired by Charles Perrault’s original fairy tale and Walt Disney‘s 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty, the film portrays the story from the perspective of the villain, depicting her conflicted relationship with the princess and king of a corrupt kingdom.
Filming took place between June and October 2012 and became the fourth highest grossing movie of 2014. The movie would receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design at the 87th Academy Awards.
On June 2015, Disney announced the sequel with Linda Woolverton returning to write the screenplay and Joe Roth to produce. Then on August 30th, Disney hired screenwriter Jez Butterworth to re-write the initial script by Wolverton.
Maleficent received mixed reviews from critics. The film holds a 51% approval rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 211 reviews, with an average score of 5.7/10. The site’s consensus reads, “Angelina Jolie’s magnetic performance outshines Maleficent‘s dazzling special effects; unfortunately, the movie around them fails to justify all that impressive effort.”
Related:
- Disney’s ‘Maleficent’ Sequel Coming Soon
- Brad Pitt Attacked at Premiere of Angelina Jolie’s ‘Maleficent’ Premiere [VIDEO]
- Angelina Jolie Offered to Catch an African Warlord
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