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Disney announces 'Maleficent' and 'The Jungle Book' sequels

The news follows The Jungle Book's success for a second weekend at the box office.

By Annie Martin
Angelina Jolie at the Los Angeles premiere of "Kung Fu Panda 3" on January 16. The actress plays the title character in "Maleficent." File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
1 of 5 | Angelina Jolie at the Los Angeles premiere of "Kung Fu Panda 3" on January 16. The actress plays the title character in "Maleficent." File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

BURBANK, Calif., April 26 (UPI) -- Disney announced a slew of new projects Monday, including sequels to Maleficent and The Jungle Book.

The studio has nine new live-action movies in the works, in addition to the previously announced Alice Through the Looking Glass (out May 27), Pete's Dragon (out Aug. 12) and Beauty and the Beast (out March 17, 2017).

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Maleficent 2 is confirmed with Angelina Jolie as star and Linda Woolverton as writer. The Jungle Book will also receive a sequel with Jon Favreau as director and Justin Marks as writer.

Emma Stone will star in Cruella with Kelly Marcel as writer, while Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda will lead a Mary Poppins sequel with Rob Marshall as director. Dwayne Johnson will star in Jungle Cruise with John Requa and Glenn Ficarra as writers, while Reese Witherspoon is attached to a Tinker Bell movie with Victoria Strouse as writer.

Dumbo is also in the works with Tim Burton as director and Ehren Kruger as writer. Ava DuVernay will adapt A Wrinkle in Time with Jennifer Lee as writer, while The Nutcracker and the Four Realms will be directed by Lasse Hallstrom with Ashleigh Powell as writer.

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Disney updated their forthcoming release dates but didn't specify which films will premiere when. Several of the newly announced projects are expected to receive release dates in the coming months.

Untitled Disney Fairy Tale (Live Action) previously dated Dec. 22, 2017 moved to July 28, 2017

Untitled Disney Fairy Tale (Live Action) now dated April 6, 2018

Untitled Disney Live Action now dated Aug. 3, 2018

Untitled Disney Live Action now dated Dec. 25, 2018

Sources told The Hollywood Reporter one of the release dates will go to The Jungle Book 2. Disney's live-action The Jungle Book, starring Idris Elba and Scarlett Johansson, crushed the competition over the weekend, earning an additional $61 million.

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