It was announced today by Walt Disney that production has begun on Maleficent II, a sequel to the 2014 global box office hit Maleficent, at Pinewood Studios and on locations throughout the U.K.. Oscar® and three-time Golden Globe® winner Angelina Jolie and Elle reprise their roles as the dark fairy Maleficent and Princess Aurora, respectively, two characters from the studio’s animated classic Sleeping Beauty, whose untold story was brought to life on screen in Maleficent.

Michelle Pfeiffer, the Golden Globe® Award winning, Emmy® nominated and three-time Academy Award® nominated actress, joins the cast as Queen Ingrith. Also joining the production are Academy Award® and Golden Globe nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ed Skrein and Robert Lindsay. Harris Dickinson joins Maleficent II as Prince Phillip.

Maleficent II is directed by Joachim Rønning and written by Linda Woolverton, Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster. The producers are Joe Roth and Angelina Jolie.

A fantasy adventure that picks up several years after Maleficent, in which audiences learned of the events that hardened the heart of Disney’s most notorious villain and drove her to curse a baby Princess Aurora, Maleficent II continues to explore the complex relationship between the horned fairy and the soon to be Queen, as they form new alliances and face new adversaries in their struggle to protect the moors and the magical creatures that reside within. Maleficent opened on May 30, 2014 and grossed more than $750 million at the global box office.