Yesterday we learned that Maleficent 2 had gone into production. We haven't had to wait long to get our first look at the actors on the set, as Elle Fanning sent out some pictures of herself, with a very special guest in the background. Elle Fanning and Angelina Jolie worked together on the original film four years ago and it looks like they're already having a blast working together again. As Jolie went full photobomber in Fanning's pics. Check out Princess Aurora wearing Maleficent's trademark headdress.
It works so well because both Jolie and Fanning are dressed in white, so it's hard to tell there's actually another person behind her. It just looks like Elle Fanning is wearing horns, and she looks pretty good in them as far as that goes.
The news that Maleficient 2 was in full production came as something of a surprise as, while the project seemed to be moving forward, it had been first announced quite some time ago, so it was difficult to know for sure just how close to a reality the film actually was. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales director Joachim Rønning will helm the new movie based on a script by Linda Woolverton with rewrites by Jez Butterworth.
The original Maleficent was a rough retelling of the Disney version of the classic Sleeping Beauty told from the perspective of the titular villain. Although, in that case, Maleficient was less a force of pure evil and more a woman bent on revenge following criminal abuse. Based on the plot synopsis that's been revealed about the sequel, it seems the new movie will see Maleficent and Aurora forming an alliance in an attempt to save the magical creatures of the forest.
Based on the way Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning look in pictures together, they'll have no problem working together on screen.
Also, if you're looking for spoilers, it appears Elle Fanning has a copy of the script on her lap, which you can see reflected in her sunglasses. Does anybody have that cool "zoom and enhance" technology they use on TV?
Maleficent's success at the box office was the major reason Disney has gone all-in on live-action adaptations of their animated classics. I'm honestly looking forward to the sequel, as the first film's biggest problem was when it had to fairly closely adapt Sleeping Beauty. When Maleficent got to be its own thing it took some pretty impressive risks. With a sequel being an entirely original story, it should have the freedom to take those risks from beginning to end.
