Disney has confirmed that there will be a follow-up sequel for 2014's "Maleficent," which starred Angelina Jolie in the titular role. The project has not been heard of for quite some time, but is now assigned a screenwriter — which is looking good for the project.
Disney has been on a roll with its live action adaptations of its classics like "Beauty and the Beast" which starred Emma Watson. "Maleficent" is a story derived from "Sleeping Beauty," but focused on the main villain of the story. Even though a sequel of "Maleficent" has been suggested by Disney in the past, it certainly took some time before they could take off with a solid plan.
According to The Tracking Board, Jez Butterworth is slated to be the sequel's screenwriter. She will be replacing the original writer from the first "Maleficent" movie, Linda Woolverton — who has already made a draft for the sequel, but was ultimately scrapped. Butterworth is responsible for the screenplay of films such as the James Bond movie "Spectre" and "Edge of Tomorrow" — which starred Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt.
Other notable works of Butterworth are "Black Mass," which starred Johnny Depp, and has contributed to the James Brown biopic "Get on Up." Given that there is already an existing script by Woolverton, it is still unclear whether Butterworth will be revising the script entirely, or will be following the draft with some minor changes.
Fans will be happy to know that Jolie will be reprising her role as "Maleficent." However, the shooting and release dates will be entirely dependent on Jolie's personal schedule, since it appears that she is going through a lot of issues as of late. Additionally, Movie Web said that she is eyeing some directorial projects, possibly something Marvel related. Joe Roth is tasked to produce the movie.
As of now, there is still no confirmed release date for "Maleficent 2," but speculations suggest that it could be released in the late months of 2018.
