With high anticipation for the new, The Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey, the high tide of excitement for princesses is making yet another comeback. Disney announces today that Brandy will return to her role as the iconic character Cinderella (1997) in the upcoming television film Descendants: The Rise of Red.
A clip is shared by Disney+ on social media showcasing Brandy and former co-star Paolo Montalban on the set of the new film, reintroducing their new characters as now King and Queen.
While Disney+ has yet to disclose the release date for the film, fans are already excited about the nostalgia the film will bring to older and younger audiences. In the live-action musical, Brandy also starred alongside Whitney Houston as Fairy Godmother while featuring other renowned names like Whoopi Goldberg, Victor Garber, Natalie Desselle Reid, Bernadette Peters, and Jason Alexander. The 1997 film earned seven Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special.
Variety confirmed Descendants: The Rise of Red (directed by Jennifer Phang) will be a continuation of the franchise centering on the relationship between Red (Kylie Cantrall), daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe (Mia Baker), daughter of Cinderella, and Prince Charming.
“When the tyrannical Queen of Hearts incites a coup against Auradon, polar opposites Red and Chloe must join forces and travel back in time to undo the traumatic event that set Red’s mother down her villainous path,” Disney teased.
While the Descendants franchise focuses on the children of our classic Disney characters, Brandy reflects on how far the industry has come.
“This was like a dream come true, so I’m just so glad that this new generation has this beautiful piece to enjoy…I feel like it opened doors…It’s because of them that I was able to be that person to help open the doors for so many other young artists that want to do things that they probably think are impossible.”
Especially with Halle Bailey starring as Ariel in the live-action The Little Mermaid and Yara Shahidi as Tinkerbell in the new Peter Pan, the impact is long-lasting.
