'Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil' Trailer: Angelina Jolie Returns As The Notorious Disney Villain

Angelina Jolie is set to return to the screen for the first time since 2015 with Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. The sequel finds Jolie once again playing the villainous Sleeping Beauty character, reimagined as more of a tragic, complex figure than hinted at in the original animated movie. Elle Fanning is back as well, with Michelle Pfeiffer joining the franchise as a new character. The Mistress of Evil trailer below gives us our first look at Jolie's return to acting.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, aka Maleficent 2, is "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." This new film "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."

Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning reprise their respective roles of Maleficent and Princess Aurora. Other returning cast members include Sam Riley as Diaval; Imelda Staunton as the pixie Knotgrass; Juno Temple as the pixie Thistlewit; and Lesley Manville as the pixie Flittle. I promise I didn't make up those character names.

As for the new cast members, they include Michelle Pfeiffer as Queen Ingrith; Chiwetel Ejiofor; Ed Skrein; Robert Lindsay; and Harrison Dickinson as Prince Phillip. Joachim Rønning is directing.

The original Maleficent came out back in 2014, which seem like a very long time ago – at least in terms of movie sequels. That 2014 film was a huge hit, and convinced Disney to continue making more and more live-action reboots of their classic animated films. But will audiences be interested in a sequel after so many years?

Perhaps the biggest draw here is Jolie herself. The last time she appeared on screen was in 2015's By the Sea, which she also directed. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil will mark the first of several new projects that will find the actress in front of the camera again. She'll also be seen in Come Away, which is a prequel to Peter Pan; the thriller Those Who Wish Me Dead; and the Marvel movie The Eternals.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil will cast a spell on audiences on October 18, 2019.