by Nathaniel R
As much as I neither enjoyed Maleficent (2014) nor have any reason whatsoever to believe the sequel will be any better, I'll admit that I am as gullible as anyone when it comes to promotional hype about blockbusters. I veritably squealed when I saw this photo on Elle Fanning's instagram today. And then this equally delicious photo...
Yes, it's just star chairs but the third one says "Queen Ingrith MICHELLE PFEIFFER". I rest my case for reasons for practically squealing.
← Curiously this is the second time La Pfeiffer has played a literal Queen and the other film was also about fairies! Remember when she played Queen Titania (opposite Rupert Everett's fairy king) in Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)? Surely this is a commentary on her otherworldly ethereal beauty.
Jolie & Fanning are reprising their roles from the original blockbuster, so this will be Jolie's first movie in ages and probably Fanning's fourth movie filming this month (that girl is always working!)
Apparently Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville, and Juno Temple are all returning as the three fairy godmothers who were strangely reimagined as pixies if I recall (though you'd think Staunton and especially Manville would have better offers at this moment in time given recent triumphs!). Chiwetel Ejiofor and Ed Skrein are the newbies in the cast.
Brenton Thwaites is not returning as Prince Philipp but will be replaced by Beach Rats' Harris Dickinson, now a hot commodity in Hollywood. One assumes the Thwaites situation is just a scheduling conflict but, if not, that's a tough break for the 28 year old Aussie. Not that he's unemployed. He'll be playing Nightwing in "Titans" which is yet another Greg Berlanti superhero tv series following Green Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, and the rest. So Thwaites should be fine. Given the ass-fandom surrounding Nightwing in the comic books (look it up) we hope Thwaites is doing his squats and the costuming department isn't encumbering him with too much ass-blocking bulky fabrics as is their habit. Those superhero series have their meager mainstream charms, but one thing they don't really do is sex appeal in costumes. Only Green Arrow is noted for its body-ogling and that is almost entirely courtesy of how often the lead is not wearing his costume... or a shirt at all.