Surprise! Next Disney Live-Action Adaptation Announced, Everything We Know

In a surprise turn of events, Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie just quietly revealed that Maleficent 3 is in the works at Disney. Here is everything we know, but first, let’s remind ourselves of what live-action adaptations have already happened and what is next for the House of Mouse.

Disney’s Live-Action Adaptations

What live-action adaptations have been released by Disney?

The Walt Disney Company has a long history of producing live-action movies alongside their industry-leading animated feature films. And then, when looking more specifically at live-action adaptations of those classic animations, Disney has spent years bringing them to life in a whole new way. Take 101 Dalmatians (1996), for example, which saw Glenn Close bring the sinister Cruella de Vil to life in startling fashion.

But when we think about the Disney live-action canon that is so prominent today, that all seemed to begin just over a decade ago with the likes of Alice in Wonderland (2010) starring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, and four years later with Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent (2014).

Maleficent is unusual in the regard that it is not a live-action reimagining of a specific Disney story, like 101 Dalmatians or Alice in Wonderland was, for example, but moreover, a fresh take on the events that transpired in 1959’s Sleeping Beauty, focusing not on the Princess Aurora, but the evil, dragon-shifting Maleficent. But, was she ever so evil as the fifties cartoon made out?

Disney followed Maleficent with a string of more direct live-action adaptations, including Cinderella (2015), The Jungle Book (2016), Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), Beauty and the Beast (2017), Dumbo (2019), Aladdin (2019), The Lion King (2019), Lady and the Tramp (2019), Mulan (2020), Pinocchio (2022), Peter Pan & Wendy (2023), and The Little Mermaid (2023).

Related: Government Gets Involved in Controversial Live-Action ‘Snow White’ Remake

A sequel to Maleficent, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019), was released five years after the first movie, and in a similar vein to Maleficent premise, Disney released Cruella (2021), starring Emma Stone in a new tale about the origin of the wicked villain.

The latest live-action adaptation to release was The Little Mermaid from director Rob Marshall, starring Halle Bailey as the iconic mermaid princess Ariel. The Disney film grossed just over $500 million at the global box office and can now be viewed on The Walt Disney Company’s streaming service, Disney+.

What Disney live-action adaptations are coming?

Coming down the pipeline, Disney has many live-action adaptations locked and loaded. First will be Mufasa: The Lion King (2024) from Barry Jenkins, which will be followed by Marc Webb’s Disney’s Snow White (2025), Moana (2025) from Thomas Kail, Lilo & Stitch (TBD) from Dean Fleischer Camp, Hercules (TBD) from Guy Ritchie, Bambi (TBD) from Sarah Polley, The Sword in the Stone (TBD) from Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, Robin Hood (TBD) from Carlos López Estrada, and The Aristocats (TBD) from Questlove.

Disney’s Maleficent

What is the Maleficent series?

Maleficent is a live-action Disney movie directed by Robert Stromberg and written by Linda Woolverton. The retelling focuses on the narrative of Sleeping Beauty but through the lens of the evil fairy Maleficent, played by Angelina Jolie. In the animated version, Maleficent is portrayed as a powerful, sinister villain, but in Maleficent, viewers are introduced to a character scorned by those she thought were friends, who later curses the young Princess Aurora, only to go on and care for the child.

Elle Fanning stars as Aurora, with Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, and Juno Temple portraying the other fairies, Flittle, Knotgrass, and Thistlewit, respectively. Sharlto Copley plays King Stefan, Brenton Thwaites brings Phillip to life, and Sam Riley plays Diaval.

The Maleficent movie was produced by Joe Roth and released in late May 2014, netting $758 million at the global box office.

Related: Close to 100% of Disney Animated Film Material Damaged and Lost

Five years later, Disney released the sequel to Maleficent, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Joining Woolverton, Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster co-wrote the script in the Joachim Rønning-directed live-action retelling. Many of the first film’s cast returned for the sequel, where they were joined by Michelle Pfeiffer as Queen Ingrith, Chiwetel Ejiofor as dark fae Conall, with Harris Dickinson replacing Brenton Thwaites as Prince Phillip.

The second film grossed just short of $500 million during its theatrical run.

What about Maleficent 3?

In a surprise announcement, Hollywood star Angelina Jolie revealed to the Wall Street Journal that Maleficent 3 was in the works. At present, there is no other information about the next installment, not even from Disney CEO Bob Iger, other than Jolie is attached to reprise her role as the classic Disney villain.

As the second sequel to an already alternate retelling of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, it will be interesting to see where the studio will take Jolie’s high-flying sorceress for the third adventure. Maleficent was a surprise success back in 2014, and even though the second movie was less of a hit at the box office, a third entry in a world where fans, especially Disney fans, are craving something new, an original story might just be the ticket to some giving the House of Mouse another chance.

Are you excited to hear that Maleficent 3 is in the works? 

This post is originally appeared on Inside the Magic.