It’s not uncommon for movie release dates to shift back incrementally as films are delayed, or reshoots are pencilled in for lengthy productions. But Disney’s Maleficent sequel just moved forward – and not just by a couple of weeks. The follow-up to the live-action Sleeping Beauty villain spin-off has been bumped up by seven whole months – instead of hitting cinemas at the end of May 2020, as initially scheduled, it’s now arriving in October 2019. As well as a new release date, the film has an official title – Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil – and a fresh poster.
Mistress Of Evil will once again star Angelina Jolie as the titular misunderstood misanthrope, with [Elle Fanning]9https://www.empireonline.com/people/elle-fanning/) returning as Aurora (or, Sleeping Beauty herself). The official synopsis is as follows: “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 Maleficent sequel is directed by Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Rønning, who previously co-directed Pirates Of The Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge with Espen Sandberg. The film is expected to arrive in October 2019, though no specific date has been confirmed for now.
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