Walt Disney’s legendary Sleeping Beauty, released in 2014. Maleficent made a cool $758 million against a $180 million budget, thanks to a star-studded cast and a curious twist that turns the namesake evil fairy into a sympathetic antihero — while making Princess Aurora’s (Elle Fanning) father, King Stefan (Sharlto Copley), the true villain (per Box Office Mojo). As a result, it’s not surprising that Disney decided to give viewers more Jolie-ficent adventures.
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, the sequel, was released in 2019, and it pitted Maleficent and Aurora against their most formidable foe yet: Queen Ingrith of Ulstead (Michelle Pfeiffer), an antagonist out to destroy all fairies. With the two films establishing a pretty cool fantasy universe centred on the Sleeping Beauty characters, it’s only natural to assume that Disney intends to continue the franchise with future instalments.
But what adventures will Maleficent have in the future films?
Here’s what we know so far about Maleficent 3’s release date, cast, and plot.
Release Date
There has been no official word on Maleficent 3, though this could be due to the fact that Mistress of Evil was released on October 18, 2019, and shortly after it finished its theatre run, the COVID-19 pandemic threw the movie industry into disarray. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil received mixed reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but based on the film’s box office success, a third instalment may still be in the works. Mistress of Evil did not earn as much as its predecessor, but with a worldwide gross of nearly $492 million against a budget of $185 million, Disney has decided to go for a threequel. With an anticipated release in 2024.
