Nigerian -born British actor, Chiwetel Ejiofor, will be acting alongside Angelina Jolie in Maleficent II, an upcoming sequel to Walt Disney’s 2014 Dark Fantasy film, Maleficent.
According to Disney, filming of the sequel started in the UK in May, with the Nigerian-British actor among the cast.
The 12 Years a Slave and Doctor Strange actor is joining the cast of the original movie with Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning and other new cast members which include Michelle Pfeiffer as Queen Ingrith, Harris Dickinson as Prince Phillip, Ed Skrein playing the main villain, and Robert Lindsay.
Veteran Norwegian co-director of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Joachim Rønning, is directing Maleficent II. Jez Butterworth was hired to rewrite the original script by Woolverton, and Joe Roth was added as a producer.
Chiwetel played the role of Odenigbo in the 2013 movie adaptation of Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun. He began his professional acting career at the age of 19 when he was cast by Steven Spielberg to play James Covey in the film, Amistad. He has featured in many award-winning films including the 2013 movie 12 Years a Slave, which earned him an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award nominations, and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor. He is also in the cast of the Lion King movie, expected to be released in July 2019, as the voice of Scar. In 2008, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II and in 2015 was elevated to Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his services to the arts.
The release date for Maleficent II is yet to be announced, but we hope it will be as successful as the original movie which grossed, over $750million at the box office.