Joachim Ronning has hinted he could be open to directing the third Maleficent movie.
The 53-year-old filmmaker helmed the second Maleficent flick Mistress of Evil in 2019, and while he hasn’t confirmed whether he is involved in the next movie, Ronning has teased he is “always interested in a good story”.
When Screen Rant asked Ronning if he would be interested in returning for the third Maleficent film, he said: “I’m … That’s a good question. I think I’m always interested in a good story. For me, that’s what it’s all about. So, we will see what the future holds.”
The Tron: Ares director added both Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and his 2017 blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales had “changed [his] life and career”.
He continued: “I love Maleficent, and I love Pirates. It changed my life and career, being able to get that gig.
“Now doing Tron, I feel so lucky to have been able to do [these blockbusters]. And also making a smaller film like Young Woman and the Sea, where we go and we have Daisy Ridley and we’re out on the ocean doing it for real.
“And here [with Tron: Ares] we’re in the computer. I feel very lucky.”
Maleficent reimagines the classic fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty by exploring the life of the titular witch (Angelina Jolie) after she has been betrayed by those she trusted – driving her to curse Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning).
As Aurora grows, Maleficent grapples with her own darkness and the possibility of redemption through unexpected love.
When it hit cinemas in 2014, Maleficent proved to be a box office success, and grossed $758.8 million globally against a production budget of roughly $180 million.
The sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil released five years later, and told the story of Maleficent as she struggles with her protective bond to Aurora when a royal marriage threatens to divide their worlds.
Betrayal, war, and hidden truths test Maleficent’s identity, pushing her toward a destiny greater than she imagined.
The 2019 flick also performed well commercially, bringing in $377.8 million worldwide against an estimated production budget of approximately $185 million.
Following Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, it was announced in 2021 that a third movie was in development, with Jolie, 50, and screenwriter Linda Woolverton – who penned the first two flicks – confirmed to be returning for the project.
However, no directors have been officially attached to the movie.
While updates on the third Maleficent film have been slow, Jolie recently said she would “love to play [Maleficent] again”.
Despite confirming another Maleficent movie was on the way, Jolie did not reveal whether Fanning’s Princess Aurora or Sam Riley’s Diaval would return for the upcoming project.
