Joachim Rønning addressed the possibility of him returning to direct the in-development Maleficent 3. Angelina Jolie plays the iconic Sleeping Beauty villain in the Disney franchise, which presents the story of Sleeping Beauty from Maleficent’s perspective. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil was directed by Rønning, further expanding the story of the classic fairy tale.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil earned $491 million at the worldwide box office and scored a 95% on the Popcornmeter from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. A third movie in the franchise was announced in 2021, with Jolie and screenwriter Linda Woolverton, who wrote the first two movies in the franchise, returning. However, there has been no news on who is going to direct the movie.

In an interview for Rønning’s new movie, Tron: Ares, Screen Rant’s Liam Crowley took the chance to ask him where he stands on returning for Maleficent 3:

Screen Rant: You’ve done so many big franchises, but you’ve rarely done sequels. You tapped into Pirates of the Caribbean, you also did Maleficent. They’re writing a third script right now, as of March, for a third Maleficent movie. Would you be interested?

Joachim Rønning: I’m… That’s a good question. [Laughs] 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. 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 big projects]. 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] we’re in the computer. I feel very lucky.

What Joachim Rønning’s Comments Mean For Maleficent 3

Never say never is the big takeaway from Rønning’s answer from the interview. He definitely gives a diplomatic answer, neither confirming nor denying his potential involvement. Though he does leave the door open, saying his potential involvement would come down to the story that Woolverton comes up with.

Woolverton has written a number of Disney’s live action versions of classic animated movies, including Alice in Wonderland, Alice Through the Looking Glᴀss, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King.

As of right now, plot details for Maleficent 3 are being kept under wraps.

Our Take On Joachim Rønning Returning For Maleficent 3

Since Rønning first made waves in Hollywood with his Oscar-nominated international movie Kon-Tiki, the director has worked pretty much exclusively with Disney. There’s nothing wrong with that, In fact, Rønning has gotten to work in a handful of different genres, from high-seas adventure (Pirates) to fantasy (Maleficent) to drama (Young Woman and the Sea), and now sci-fi (Tron: Ares).

If revisiting Maleficent is what inspires Rønning for one of his next movies, here’s hoping he can make a movie that fans will thoroughly enjoy.