Maleficent 3: Sequel Director Finally Reveals If He's Returning for the Threequel

Joachim Rønning is not closing the door on Maleficent 3, but he is not walking through it yet either. While making the rounds for Tron: Ares, he gave the classic filmmaker answer: if the story is right, he is interested. Here is where things actually stand.

So... is Rønning coming back?

Maybe. Speaking to Screen Rant, Rønning was asked point-blank if he would return to direct the third Maleficent movie. His answer boiled down to this:

"I think I am always interested in a good story. For me, that is what it is all about. So, we will see what the future holds."

Translation: no commitment, no refusal. Just a very polite 'bring me a great script and we will talk.'

The state of Maleficent 3 (and why this is a little inside baseball)

Disney announced a third Maleficent back in 2021, but a director has still not been officially set. The franchise flips Sleeping Beauty on its head by telling it from Maleficent's point of view, and Rønning previously handled Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. As of March, a script for the new film is being written. That is the most concrete movement anyone has acknowledged publicly.

• Director: not confirmed (Rønning is interested if the story is there)
• Script: in the works as of March
• Lead: Angelina Jolie is back as Maleficent
• Writer: Linda Woolverton, who wrote the first two, is returning
• Initial threequel announcement: 2021

Rønning on Disney gigs, Tron, and, yes, Pirates

Rønning was pretty open about how much these massive Disney gigs have shaped his career. In his words, he loves Maleficent and he loves Pirates, and landing those jobs changed his life. That is not nothing when you are talking about whether he would jump back in for a third round.

He also contrasted his recent work in a very filmmaker-y way: on Young Woman and the Sea, he had Daisy Ridley out on the ocean actually doing it for real; on Tron: Ares, he is, as he put it, in the computer. He sounds genuinely grateful for both extremes, which tracks with the whole 'good story first' answer.

Bottom line

Rønning is open to Maleficent 3 but waiting to see if the script hits. Jolie and Woolverton are locked, the script is in progress, and the director seat is still empty. If Disney wants him back, it is going to come down to the pages.