Yahoo Movies Pirates 5 director eyed by Disney for Maleficent 2
Joachim Rønning got the biggest break of his career co-directing Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge - and it looks like Disney was impressed enough to hand him another major sequel.
The House of Mouse is in early talks with the Norwegian filmmaker to tackle its long-developing sequel for Angelina Jolie's Maleficent, according to Deadline.
If the deal is finalised, Rønning would direct a screenplay currently in the works from screenwriting heavy hitters Jez Butterworth (Spectre and Edge of Tomorrow) and Linda Woolverton (The Lion King and, of course, Maleficent).
This is one of several high-profile projects that Rønning currently has in development, along with a possible Pirates of the Caribbean 6 for Disney and an adaptation of the Michael Crichton novel Micro.
Angelina Jolie is already on board to return in the spin-off of Disney's Sleeping Beauty as the title character, the morally-murky evil queen who terrorises the mystical Moors.
Jolie seemed quite excited about putting the horned crown back on her head while confirming her involvement in Disney's Maleficent 2 last month.
"We have been working on the script and this is going to be a really strong sequel," she promised at the Telluride Film Festival while promoting her Oscar contenderFirst They Killed My Father.
The original Maleficent earned more than $750 million at the worldwide box office in 2014, and won two coveted People's Choice Awards.
Disney doesn't have a specific cinema date for Maleficent 2 slotted in its release schedule yet.
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