Angelina Jolie ready to rock the horns again for Maleficent sequel

Angelina Jolie has confirmed she'll be returning to acting for the Maleficent sequel.

The Oscar winner, 42, has been focusing on directing and humanitarian work in recent years, but now she's ready to put the horns back on for the follow-up to Disney's 2014 film, in which she played a fairytale villain.

"I am now the breadwinner for the family, so it’s time," Jolie joked to Deadline about her big screen return in the wake of her split from husband Brad Pitt last year (16).

"We have been working on the script and this is going to be a really strong sequel," she adds.

The original film, which also featured Elle Fanning and Sharlto Copley, was a big hit, making more than $750 million (GBP575,000) at the international box office.

It was also an important film for Angelina as it featured her real-life daughter Vivienne's first screen time - she played a young Sleeping Beauty in the film.

Malificent 2 will be Jolie's first acting role since she appeared alongside Pitt in 2015's By The Sea, which she also directed.

It also marks her return to the movie world following her September, 2016 marriage split, after which she took a break to focus on her family.

"I’ve taken over a year off (in total) now, because of my family situation, to take care of my kids," Jolie told The Hollywood Reporter. "I look forward to having some fun with that (Maleficent sequel)."

Meanwhile, her latest directorial effort, First They Killed My Father, premieres on Netflix next week (15Sep17).

The film is based on Cambodian human rights activist Loung Ung’s memoir, which documents her experience as a young girl growing up under the Khmer Rouge regime.