The original MALEFICENT took its cues from the classic story of Sleeping Beauty. You know the tale. Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning) is tricked into a spell by the evil Maleficent (Angelina Jolie), needing true-love’s kiss to awaken her.
That first movie expanded on the traditional fairy tale, penned by Charles Perrault, and the sequel, MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL, will increase the mythology of this Disney live-action world even more. Tickets for MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL are on sale as we speak, so make sure that you grab yours today.
Ahead of the film’s October 18 release, AMC spoke with MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL director Joachim Ronning about his plans for the expanded story. Jolie and Fanning will reprise their roles, with Maleficent opposing a planned marriage between Aurora and Prince Phillip (Harry Dickinson). The addition of a new family is but one angle Ronning — who directed PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES — hopes to bring to the bigger, better sequel.
“It's always a fine line," Ronning said. “And as you mentioned, this is my second franchise [where I was] coming in and directing a sequel. It’s always a fine line giving the fans what they loved about the first film and then at the same time, making MALEFICENT 2.0 and taking it to the next level. That's both a blessing and a curse for a filmmaker, you know? Because you come into an existing universe, and it’s amazing because you have these amazing actors that, you know, they know their characters so well. You want to create something original and new. So, it's always going to be a balance.
“I think in this one, Maleficent discovering that she’s not the only one [will be huge],” Ronning continued. “She's not the only Dark Fey. It's not the only Maleficent in the universe.”
That was a huge reveal in the most recent trailer for MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL, which you can watch right here:
But Joachim Ronning knows that fans will be coming back to the world of Maleficent not just for the fantasy spectacle, but also the relationships set up in the first movie.
“My main mission was, ‘How can we surprise the audience again and find the original take on this fairytale?'” he said. “I think, next to the character Maleficent, portrayed so amazingly by Angelina Jolie, the other bullet in the barrel [laughs] that this franchise has is the emotional core, between Maleficent and Aurora. Basically between mother and daughter. And for me as a filmmaker, that's mainly what I look for. The emotional core of the story.”
Not that the visual effects in MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL won’t be spectacular. Walt Disney Studios knows that it's lifting a fairy tale right off the page, and it will use cutting-edge tech to bring this world to life. But it’s comforting to know that Jolie, Fanning and their director are doing everything they can to zero in on the human element of MALEFICENT.
The sequel MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL reaches theatres on October 18, so be sure to grab your tickets now at AMC.
