Disney gives its Maleficent sequel a new title and an early release date

Disney is adding yet another film to its packed 2019 slate.

The studio on Wednesday announced that the Maleficent sequel, which is now being titled Mistress of Evil, will be released in October. A teaser poster showing Angelina Jolie back as the iconic Sleeping Beauty villain was also released.

This announcement came as a surprise considering Disney previously dated the film for May 29, 2020. The film now joins the company's ridiculously crowded 2019 lineup, which also consists of Captain Marvel, Dumbo, Avengers: Endgame, Aladdin, Toy Story 4, The Lion King, Artemis Fowl, Frozen II, and Star Wars: Episode IX. Needless to say, expect Disney to dominate the box office once again this year.

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The first Maleficent was a surprisingly huge hit for Disney back in 2014, grossing $758 million worldwide. The success of that film, as well as Tim Burton's 2010 Alice in Wonderland, helped usher in the current era of Disney live-action remakes and reimaginings; in the same vein as Maleficent, a live-action film about One Hundred and One Dalmatians' Cruella de Vil is also in the works starring Emma Stone.

No plot details have been released about Mistress of Evil just yet, but it will be directed by Joachim Rønning (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) and also star Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer. It will be the first live-action feature film Jolie has starred in since 2015.