Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson Joining Angelina Jolie in 'Maleficent' (Exclusive)

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Maleficent is added a strong English line-up to its cast.

Veteran actresses Imelda Staunton and Miranda Richardson are joining Maleficent, Disneys live-action re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale that stars Angelina Jolie.

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Also boarding the production, being directed by Robert Stromberg, are Kenneth Cranham (Made in Dagenham), Sam Riley (Brighton Rock), Lesley Manville (Another Year).

Jolie is playing the title character in the project that tells the fairy tale from the point of view of the witch that cursed Aurora to a permanent sleep on her 16th birthday.

Elle Fanning is already on board as Aurora while Sharlto Copley is Stefan, the half-human, half-fairy bastard son of the human king.

Staunton and Manville are playing Knotgrass and Flittle, respectively, two of the three pixies that end up taking care of Aurora. (They were fairies in the original tales.)

Richardson will play Queen Ulla, a Fairy Queen who is Maleficents aunt with a dislike of her niece.

Cranham will play the human king who plots to conquer the fairy kingdom.

Riley takes the role of Diaval, a raven who changes into human form and is Maleficents right hand.

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Staunton, repped by Paradigm and UKs Artists Rights Group, may be best known to American audiences for portraying Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies. She also starred in 2004s Vera Drake, which garnered her an Oscar nomination.

Richardson, a two-time Oscar nominee, played Rita Skeeter in the Harry Potter movies and appeared in AMCs short-lived series Rubicon. She is repped by Parseghian-Planco and UKs Independent Talent Group.