Syfy Insider Exclusive

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!

Sign Up For Free to View
SYFY WIRE Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil first trailer reminds you this is no fairy tale

By Christian Long
maleficent mistress of evil angelina jolie

The first trailer for Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is here to welcome viewers back into a magical kingdom while reminding everyone that "this is no fairy tale."

Angelina Jolie is reprising her role for the sequel, which picks up several years after 2014's Maleficent, a film that retold Disney's 1959 animated Sleeping Beauty but gave a sympathetic backstory to one of Disney’s most notorious (and terrifying) villains. Also returning is Elle Fanning's Princess Aurora, who's at the receiving end of Maleficent's notorious curse.

The film promises to explore the complex relationship between Jolie's horned fairy and Fanning's soon-to-be Queen as they mount their respective forces and face off in a battle for the magical realm they inhabit.

Along with Jolie and Fanning, the film stars Michelle Pfeiffer as Queen Ingrith, alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sam Riley, Juno Temple, and Lesley Manville.

Disney screenwriting veteran Linda Woolverton, who wrote the 2014 film, also returned to pen the script. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales director Joachim Rønning will helm the sequel, taking over from Maleficent director Robert Stromberg.

Maleficent is also credited with jump-starting Disney's live-action remake craze, which has included Cinderella, The Jungle Book, Pete’s Dragon, and Beauty and the Beast. The trend shows no signs of slowing down, with remakes of The Lion King, AladdinLady and the Tramp, and more currently in the pipeline.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil was originally slated to hit theaters in May of 2020, but recently had its release date bumped up to Oct. 18 of this year.