BEAUTY & THE BEAST Tony Nominated Scribe Linda Woolverton to Pen 'Maleficent' Sequel

Deadline reports exclusively that Linda Woolverton, who penned the screenplay and the book for Disney's animated film and stage musical BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, will write a sequel to the studio's 2014 blockbuster MALEFICENT.

The film starred Angelina Jolie as the title character. According to the site, the actress may reprise her role in the next installment. With a reported budget of $180 million, Maleficent grossed close to $760 million at the worldwide box office.

Woolverton is a screenwriter, playwright, and novelist, whose most prominent works include the screenplays and books of several acclaimed Disney films and stage musicals. She became the first woman to write an animated feature for Disney by writing the screenplay of Beauty and the Beast, the first animated film ever to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. She also wrote the screenplay of The Lion King, and adaptated her ownBeauty and the Beast screenplay on the book of the Broadway adaptation of the film, receiving a Tony Award nomination.

Her most recent works include the screenplay of Alice in Wonderland, a huge box office success, making Linda the first and only female screenwright with a sole writing credit on a billion-dollar film. [source]