Maleficent II: Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning joined by THIS huge star in sequel

Yesterday it was confirmed that the sequel to 2014’s huge smash hit is officially in the works, with Fanning returning as Princess Aurora and Jolie as the titular antagonist.

But with Sharlto Copley’s King Stefan meeting a sticky end in the first movie, there’s space in the line-up for some new faces.

Joining the headline cast this time around will be Michelle Pfeiffer as Queen Ingrith, as revealed by a photo of her chair on set.

Chiwetel Ejiofor – who worked with Jolie on Salt – is also on board, but his character is being kept under wraps for the time being.

The movie’s villain will reportedly come courtesy of Ed Skrein, with Robert Lindsay and Harris Dickinson (taking over from Brenton Thwaites as Prince Phillip) also on the bill.

Also returning from the first movie are Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville and Juno Temple.

The official synopsis reads: “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 grossed $241 million in the US and $517.1 million worldwide to achieve an impressive global total of around $758.5 million.

It became a new personal-best for Jolie, who nowadays tends to focus more on work behind the camera than in front of it.

With critics it fared slightly worse – achieving only a 51% aggregated score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 56 tally on Metacritic.

Still, its acclaim did extend to some decent awards nominations, including a nod at the Oscars for Best Costume Design and two People’s Choice Awards victories for Favourite Movie and Favourite Family Movie.

Maleficent II will be directed by Joachim Rønning from a script by Linda Woolverton, Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster.

The film does not yet have a release date.