The first official promo image for Maleficent, starring Angelina Jolie as the titular villain, has been released.

Disney has released a photograph of Jolie in character in the live-action adaptation of the Sleeping Beauty story, which focuses not on the Princess Aurora but on the backstory of the tale's villainess.

The 3D film is set to release on 14 March 2014, and is directed by Robert Stromberg, the Oscar-winning production designer of Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.

Super 8's Elle Fanning will co-star as Aurora in a cast that includes Sharlto Copley (District 9), Sam Riley (On the Road), Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), Miranda Richardson (Sleepy Hollow), Juno Temple (Atonement) and Lesley Manville (Secrets & Lies), according to Entertainment Weekly.

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