'Maleficent 2' to Kick Off Production on April 16 in London

By Vianne Ilagan, Christian Post Contributor Monday, January 08, 2018

After several years of being in development, the production on Disney's "Maleficent 2" is finally moving forward. A new report has revealed that director Joachim Ronning, the same director who helmed "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," is already in the movie's pre-production process and that the principal photography is already scheduled to begin on April 16.

Shooting for the sequel will reportedly kick off in London in April and will run until August, with Angelina Jolie making a return as the titular character. Previously, it was reported that the actress was torn between the "Maleficent" sequel and the Universal monster movie "Bride of Frankenstein," but recent reports suggest that she has already decided to prioritize "Maleficent 2."

"Justice League" production designer Patrick Tatopoulous has reportedly been enlisted as the sequel's production designer. Before his work on DC's latest outing, he also worked on "Batman V Superman" and "300: Rise of an Empire."

Back in August, Disney confirmed hiring "Spectre" screenwriter Jez Butterworth to pen the script for "Maleficent 2." The film writer replaced Linda Woolverton, who wrote the script for the first film. After a few months, the studio announced that Ronning had already signed on to helm the project, marking his first solo directorial outing. Among his previous works with other directors were "Kon-Tiki," and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales." He also directed two episodes of the hit TV series "Marco Polo" with Espen Sandberg.

Meanwhile, Disney has yet to make any casting announcements. While Jolie has already confirmed her involvement in the upcoming film, it remains to be seen if her "Maleficent" co-stars Elle Fanning and Brenton Thwaites will also reprise their roles as Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip, respectively.

"Maleficent" was one of Disney's most successful films of 2014, grossing $758.5 million worldwide. "Maleficent 2" does not have a release date yet.