Eight new additions to the fantasy reimagining.
Imelda Staunton (‘The Awakening’), Miranda Richardson (‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’), Juno Temple (‘The Dark Knight Rises’), Sam Riley (‘On the Road’), Kenneth Cranham (‘Made in Dagenham’) and Lesley Manville (‘Another Year’) have joined the cast of ‘Maleficent,’ Disney’s live-action reimagining of the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ tale.
Directed by Oscar winning art director Robert Stromberg and penned by Linda Woolverton (‘Alice in Wonderland’, ‘The Lion King’) the revisionist tale is told from the point of view of the wicked fairy godmother and tells the backstory of why Maleficent (Jolie), the self-proclaimed “Mistress of All Evil,” cursed Princess Aurora (Fanning) to a permanent sleep on her 16th birthday.
Staunton, Manville and Temple will be playing Knotgrass, Flittle and Thistletwit, respectively, the three pixies who end up taking care of Aurora. Richardson will play Queen Ulla, a fairy queen who is Maleficent’s aunt. Cranham will play the human king who plots to conquer the fairy kingdom. Riley takes the role of Diaval, a raven who changes into human form and is Maleficent’s right hand.
Also joining the reimagining are India Eisley (‘Underworld: Awakening’) and Brenton Thwaites (‘Home and Away’), with 18 year-old Eisley playing a younger version of Maleficent, and Thwaites as the Prince.
Filming is slated to kick off later this year with a release date set for 2014.