Angelina Jolie may have taken a liking to being behind the scenes with several directing gigs under her belt, but she's not against going back on-screen, either. The actress has confirmed that she will be returning as the Disney anti-hero Maleficent in the sequel to the 2014 film.
"We have been working on the script and this is going to be a really strong sequel," Jolie revealed to Deadline during the Telluride Film Festival over the weekend.
While the sequel to the box-office hit "Maleficent" has not yet started its production, preparations are definitely underway.
Jez Butterworth was recently reported to have signed onto the project as head screenwriter. He also wrote the script to another Disney live action film, "Cruella," which comes out in 2018.
There is no news yet if Elle Fanning will reprise her role as Princess Aurora, or if Brenton Thwaites is coming back as Prince Phillip.
"Maleficent" premiered in 2014. The movie was Disney's take on the "Sleeping Beauty" villain Maleficent's backstory, earning $758 million in gross sales.
Since then, Jolie starred in "By the Sea" (2015), which she also directed and produced, and has reprised her role as Tigress in "Kung Fu Panda 3" (2016).
Jolie took a one-year break from acting to focus on her family and directing.
During the Telluride Film Festival's Q&A portion, the actress said, "Right now, I don't have anything to direct that I feel passionate about like this, so I'll do some acting. I've taken over a year off now, because of my family situation, to take care of my kids."
Her most recent directorial stint is "First They Killed My Father," a Netflix film about the horrific experiences of Cambodian author and human rights activist Loung Ung under the Khmer Rouge rule. The film will be available for streaming on Netflix on Friday, Sept. 15.
There is no premiere date yet for Jolie's acting comeback in "Maleficent 2."
