Ed Skrein is stepping into the Disney kingdom.
The Deadpool actor will play the villain opposite Angelina Jolie in Disney’s Maleficent sequel. Jolie and Elle Fanning are set to return for the follow-up of the 2014 hit that grossed $758 million at the global box office.
Pirates of the Caribbean 5 co-helmer Joachim Ronning will direct the feature that centers on the Sleeping Beauty antagonist. Joe Roth will produce the pic, with Jez Butterworth and Linda Woolverton working on the screenplay.
After a brief Game of Thrones stint, Skrein’s breakout role came as the main villain in 2016’s Deadpool. He will next be seen in the Fox tentpole Alita: Battle Angel, playing (you guessed it) a villain. Skrein also earned praise last year when he stepped aside from a role in the Hellboy reboot to allow an actor of Asian descent to play the part of Major Ben Daimio, who in the comic books is Asian. Daniel Dae Kim later stepped into the role.
Skrein is repped by CAA and the U.K.’s 42.
