Jolie signed on to play the title role in January 2012 and also served as the film's executive producer, alongside Michael Vieira, Don Hahn, Palak Patel, Matt Smith, and Sarah Bradshaw.

Maleficent premiered in El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on May 28, 2014, and was released in the United States theatrically on May 30 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

He also destroys every spinning wheel in the kingdom, hiding their remnants in the castle dungeon; he then sends his army to kill Maleficent, but she surrounds the Moors with a wall of thorns.

Over the years, Stefan, who begins mass-manufacturing iron weapons, which are lethal to fairies, grows obsessed with killing Maleficent and gradually goes insane, even refusing to see his own wife on her deathbed.

Realizing she doesn't have the heart to hurt Aurora, Maleficent privately and unsuccessfully attempts to undo the curse, forgetting she stated "no power on earth" can do so.

[37][38] Simultaneously, Sean Bailey (who was an independent producer at the time) began developing the same concept for a live-action feature, which he envisioned as a "Disney version of Michael Corleone in The Godfather.

[50] By September 2011, Joe Roth had joined the project as a producer, and in January 2012, Deadline Hollywood reported that Robert Stromberg (who had been the production designer on Alice in Wonderland) would helm Maleficent in his directorial debut.

[22] Miranda Richardson and Peter Capaldi were cast and shot the Queen Ulla and King Kinloch scenes, but their roles were cut in the editing process together with more than 15 minutes of the first act of the film.

[62] Jolie was initially unsure of making a film about "somebody who curses a baby", but was still interested in the idea because of her fascination with the character of Maleficent as a child, and ended up being "very moved" by the script.

"[66] Later that month, Jim Sturgess and Gael García Bernal were reported to be trying out for the role of Diaval, with Jude Law (who had co-starred with Jolie in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow) in negotiations to play Stefan.

[18][22] On the same day, Variety reported that India Eisley would play the teenage version of Maleficent, and later that month, Juno Temple and Brenton Thwaites were cast as Thistlewit and Prince Philip.

[81][82] Sheppard and her team drew inspiration for the designs from French and Italian art of the Renaissance period (including paintings, sketches, and sculptures), creating more than two thousand costumes by hand.

Hancock, who had just finished overseeing the final postproduction stages of Saving Mr. Banks, was approached by producer Joe Roth, with whom he had worked on Snow White and the Huntsman.

Roth was asked why a "film of this magnitude was entrusted to a novice director", and he noted that Stromberg won Academy Awards for production design on Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.

[93] Walt Disney Pictures released the teaser poster for Maleficent on November 12, 2013, featuring Jolie in costume and makeup, akin to the character's depiction in the original film.

[117] The film is also one of four Walt Disney Studios releases in 2014 to gross over $500 million; the other titles being Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Big Hero 6.

[118] In North America, Maleficent earned $4.2 million in Thursday-night showings, surpassing the midnight or late-night grosses of previous live-action fantasy films, Alice in Wonderland, Oz the Great and Powerful[119][120] and Snow White and the Huntsman.

"[143][144] Wells Fargo's Marci Ryvicker predicted that Maleficent might be "too dark and scary to be profitable" and was likely to force Disney "into a write-down", as reported by The New York Times; while RBC Capital Markets' David Bank commented that "It's definitely in the 'not a sure thing' bucket.

[161] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an "A" grade on a scale of A+ to F.[124] The New York Times stated, "with two shorn wings and an astonishing maternal kiss, Maleficent demolishes stereotypes that were only tweaked in Frozen.

"[162] Kate Taylor of the Globe and Mail was very positive about the film, writing that "[it] surprises not for its baroque visions of a colourful woodland enlivened by joyous fairies and a forbidding castle peopled by unhappy humans, but rather for the thematic richness of its story gloriously personified by Angelina Jolie in the title role."

"[164] Michael Philips of the Chicago Tribune gave the film two and a half stars, commenting that the recent "formula" that "a new angle on a well-known fairy tale appears in the light" "works" with Maleficent.

[165] Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph wrote, "This Disney reimagining of Sleeping Beauty lacks true enchantment, but Angelina Jolie saves the day.

"[167] J.C. Maçek III of PopMatters wrote, "Even at its silliest, Maleficent is a well-acted film, with Sharlto Copley turning in a memorable performance and Elle Fanning proving to be an inspired choice for Aurora/Sleeping Beauty.

"[168] Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post awarded the film three-and-a-half out of four stars, commenting, "Still, for all its limitations, Maleficent manages to be improbably entertaining to watch, due solely to its title character.

Seitz also called the scene in which Maleficent discovers the loss of her wings "the most traumatizing image I've seen in a Hollywood fairy tale since the Christ-like sacrifice of Aslan in 2005's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

"[170] The review in The Globe and Mail further explained that "in the simple context of a fairy tale, Jolie does make both the terrifying horned creature and her gradual awakening heartfelt," extolling the "emotional richness" behind her physical acts.

"[172] Multiple reviewers and commentators have opined that an early scene in the movie, in which Stefan drugs Maleficent and removes her wings from her unconscious body, is a metaphor for rape.

[173] Monika Bartyzel of The Week noted the scene's implications in her review: "In its first act, Maleficent offers a dark, surprisingly adult exploration of rape and female mutilation".

[194] On April 27, 2018, it was reported that Michelle Pfeiffer was in advanced talks to play a queen in the sequel, while the script's most recent draft was written by Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue.

[195] On May 2, 2018, it was reported that Harris Dickinson had joined the cast as Prince Philip, replacing Brenton Thwaites, who was unable to reprise the role due to scheduling conflicts.