Looking at the box office numbers alone, Disney’s Maleficent was a pretty huge success. The film earned $69.4 million stateside in its opening weekend and has so far made a total of almost $170 million. However, whether audiences would want a sequel to the reimagined fairy tale is less certain. Regardless, recent comments by Angelina Jolie suggest that the star wants a follow-up.
While promoting the film in China, where it has yet to open, Jolie teased reporters who asked her what she might consider doing for her next role, saying:
“It’s kind of hard to top her, she was pretty fun. Maybe I’ll get the chance to play her again.”
Definitely an off-the-cut statement, but Disney is probably thinking about a sequel right now as well, given how successful the film proved at the box office. If Jolie is game, and they can think of a half-decent reason to drag the Sleeping Beauty villain back out, a sequel to Maleficent might actually end up happening.
Of course, Jolie may end up stepping behind the camera for the foreseeable future. Her second directorial effort, WWII story Unbroken, is set to open in December and is widely considered to be one of the year’s major Oscar bait releases. About the idea of giving up her career as an actor and becoming a full-time director, Jolie said:
“I’m very happy to begin a directing career. I didn’t know if I’d be able to successfully make this change. I love telling stories. You learn so much about life. In my case, both films I’ve done so far deal with history, so it’s a very full experience, and you work very closely with the crew. So I love directing, and I would like to direct more. I think I’d like to do less acting and more directing and I’m fortunate.”
So there you have it. Angelina Jolie proved quite capable behind the camera on In the Land of Blood and Honey, so I’m very excited to see Unbroken. And if her directing career means we won’t have to get another installment of Maleficent, all the better.