Angelina Jolie has confirmed she will be returning for Maleficent 2.
The 42-year-old actress starred as the titular role in the 2014 live-action Disney remake and the studio revealed they are pressing ahead with plans for the sequel but due to potential contracting issues, Jolie was unsure whether she would be returning.
However, at the Telluride Film Festival over the weekend, the actress said: “We have been working on the script and this is going to be a really strong sequel.”
Although not much else is known about the upcoming sequel, last week, Disney revealed they have hired Spectre co-writer Jez Butterworth to rewrite the screenplay for the film.
Linda Woolverton had penned the original draft, but her effort is set to be reworked by Butterworth, who will be under pressure to deliver a commercial hit following the success of the original movie.
Jolie previously admitted she relished playing Maleficent, the antagonist in Walt Disney’s classic 1959 animation Sleeping Beauty.
She explained: “It is really funny when people say you’d be obvious for a great villain. She was just my favorite as a little girl. I was terrified of her but I was really drawn to her. I loved her. There were some discussions about it before I got the part, and I got a phone call from my brother who said, ‘You got to get your name on the list for this!'”
Angelina also revealed that, in some ways, she could relate to her on-screen character.
The Hollywood star – who has six children – previously said: “What’s interesting about her that what I do relate to, and what I think everyone relates to, is she’s not what you assume she is.”
The first movie starred Elle Fanning as Princess Aurora, the Sleeping Beauty, Brenton Thwaites as Prince Phillip and Sharlto Copley as King Stefan.
