Of all Disney’s live-action remakes of their animated classics, the update of 1959’s Sleeping Beauty has probably diverged the most from its predecessor. Not only is true love’s kiss in Maleficent inspired more by Disney’s own movie Frozen, than Charles Perrault’s original story, but the whole tale is told from Maleficent’s point of view.
In the animated classic, the princess Aurora may have been the main character, but she was never really fully-formed. Given that she spent a significant portion of the film sleeping, that’s hardly a surprise – but it also makes the shift to the POV of malevolent fairy Maleficent all the more interesting.
Adding depth and intrigue to the character is the divine casting of Angelina Jolie, piercing the screen with her intensity and her cheekbones. Now she’s back for a sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, that promises more adventure for the plot and its characters.
We’ve got an exclusive screening lined up this month at M-Net Movies Night Out. If you won tickets for 17 October, we’ll see you there. If not: don’t despair! The movie is released nationwide on the 18th.
For fairytale fans far and wide, here are a few things you need to know about the magical sequel, along with gorgeous pics of dresses and an epic, themed cake.
1. Besides Jolie as the title character, returning cast members include Elle Fanning as Aurora and Sam Riley as Diaval, as well as Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, and Lesley Manville as Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, known in the live-action films as Knotgrass, Thistlewit, and Flittle.
2. Elle Fanning slayed the red carpet at the movie’s premiere with this incredible dress that made her look every inch the fairytale princess.
3. Her prince was played by Brenton Thwaites in the first movie, but has been replaced by Harris Dickinson in the sequel.
4. New cast members also include Deadpool’s Ed Skrein, Jolie’s Salt co-star Chiwetel Ejiofor, and needs-no-introduction Michelle Pfeiffer.
5. Pfeiffer plays Queen Ingrith, and boy did she look incredible on the red carpet in a classic black number. And she’s 61! Can we have what she’s having?
6. The film is helmed by Norwegian director Joachim Rønning, who also co-directed Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
7. He celebrated his birthday on set and this was the cake he got. We want a slice too, please!
8. Want a sneak peek? Watch the teaser below. It’s less spoilery than the trailer, and features a cool cover of the song Season of the Witch.
9. On the note of music (pun intended), one of the film’s songs has already been released: You Can’t Stop the Girl by Bebe Rexha. The film’s score was composed by Geoff Zanelli, who has also worked on Disturbia, Christopher Robin, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
10. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil was meant to be released in 2020, but was pushed forward to October this year, making it ready for release just before Halloween.
Attending M-Net Movies Night Out: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil? See you there! Give us a shout out on social media using #MMoviesNightOut.
Missed out? Enter November’s M-Net Movies Night Out here.