Things are certainly shaping up quite nicely for Angelina Jolie and her starring vehicle MALEFICENT. Recent talk has revealed Sharlto Copley to be on board as King Stefan, “the half-human, half-fairy bastard son of the human king,” while Elle Fanning continues to stay signed on as Princess Aurora.
And then there’s today’s news, which is that MALEFICENT will be joined by Imelda Staunton (HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX), Leslie Manville (ANOTHER YEAR), Sam Riley (CONTROL, ON THE ROAD), Kenneth Cranham (VALKYRIE), and Miranda Richardson (SLEEPY HOLLOW). Staunton and Manville will play two of the pixies that end up taking care of Aurora named Knotgrass and Flittle, Cranham will play a human king with designs to conquer the fairy kingdom, Richardson will play a queen of the Fairies who also happens to Maleficent’s aunt, and Riley will play Maleficent’s raven/human shapeshifter assistant Diaval.
So there it is. A nice little influx of strong British skills and presence to what is already shaping up to a very interesting project. Any other British actor(s) out there you can think of that you’d like to see involved with such a high-profile production?