Despite sniffing from some critics, Maleficent was a big hit with audiences back in 2014, so it’s no surprise that a follow-up was quickly greenlit.
It was a while coming, but it now seems that a filming date has been set for Maleficent 2.
According to Omega Underground, the film has already kicked into pre-production and will start filming in London in April.
Apparently there was some doubt about the scheduling with Jolie juggling the long-planned Bride of Frankenstein reboot, which is seemingly on ice for now.
Maleficent 2 was actually first announced back in June 2015, with it only confirmed the following year that Angelina Jolie would actually return as the complex villain.
“We have been working on the script and this is going to be a really strong sequel,” she said.
It’s not yet been announced whether or not Elle Fanning will be reprising her role as Princess Aurora too, or Brenton Thwaites as Prince Phillip.
The script for the follow-up was initially written by Linda Woolverton, who wrote the first film, but last summer Jez Butterworth came on board to re-write the screenplay.
Joachim Rønning, who was behind the camera on the fifth Pirates movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge, has been tapped up to direct the sequel.
Despite its reported shooting date, Maleficent 2 has not yet been given a release date.