We may never come down to Earth again! Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella stars Brandy and Paolo Montalban will reprise their roles as Cinderella and Prince (now King) Charming in Disney’s Descendants: The Rise of Red. Disney+ has shared the first look at the stars in their new costumes on set.
Descendants: The Rise of Red is the fourth installment in the Disney Branded Television’s musical franchise. In it, Cinderella and Charming are now queen and king, parents to Chloe (Malia Baker). Disney+ describes Montalban’s King Charming, as Cinderella’s adoring husband, who is as much in love with Cinderella as he ever was.
The Disney+ original movie follows the story of Red (Kylie Cantrall), the rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora), and Chloe, Cinderella’s perfectionist daughter. 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.
See Brandy and Montalban back together again in the video announcement below.
The two stars previously played the classic fairy tales characters in Walt Disney Television’s iconic 1997 movie Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella alongside Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother, Whoopi Goldberg and Victor Garber as Prince Charming’s royal parents, Jason Alexander as loyal royal assistant Lionel, Bernadette Peters as Cinderella’s step-mother, and more.
Fans of the original film are elated by their Descendants 4 casting.
“YOURE LYINGGGG,” one fan replied on Twitter.
“This was a very creative idea, whoever thought of it deserves a raise!” declared another.
Fans clearly love this casting choice.
MOM AND DAD https://t.co/TUBvqsPjTD pic.twitter.com/1IFRCGRlqv
— Emily Kranking (@emilykranking) March 22, 2023
Heart, be still!
I love this already. https://t.co/m9qGk6PN0J
— Vilissa Thompson (@VilissaThompson) March 22, 2023
The fact this movie still hits and people still look at it fondly and with admiration… that gives me hope. Because inclusion isn’t a new idea – and it’s always been exciting.
(Also not the main point but you can’t tell me they don’t look great! POC age like fine wine) https://t.co/0jlxaIApaS
— Ink – People make art (AND WEAR MASKS) (@TheseDeadPens) March 22, 2023
Okay, you have successfully nostalgia baited me into wanting to watch this. Well played, Disney. https://t.co/YXQCNyaYLW
— Alan Sarapa (@AlanSarapa) March 22, 2023
I legit screamed omfg!!!!!!!! https://t.co/HfLsKYQIFn
— Sprina stays in all you hoes mouths (@BeautyQueenEli) March 22, 2023
Descendants: The Rise of Red also stars China Anne McClain as Uma (daughter of sea witch Ursula), Dara Reneé as Uliana (Uma’s younger sister), Ruby Rose Turner as Bridget/Young Queen of Hearts, Morgan Dudley as as Ella/Young Cinderella, Joshua Colley as Hook (one of Uliana’s sycophants), Melanie Paxson as Fairy Godmother (reprising her role from the previous three films), Ted Lasso star Jeremy Swift as Principal Merlin, and Leonardo Nam as Maddox Hatter.
“The Descendants movies unfurled an imaginative mythology of two new lands, idyllic Auradon and the ragtag Isle of the Lost, home to the teenage progeny of Disney’s most iconic characters and notably, its most notorious villains,” Disney+ shares. “The bold new story of Descendants: The Rise of Red returns to these lands and also takes audiences through the rabbit hole to the hostile unincorporated territory of Wonderland, a magical, mysterious place made famous in Alice in Wonderland.”
Jennifer Phang directs and co-executive produces. The script was written by Dan Frey and Russell Sommer. Returning to the franchise is production designer Mark Hofeling. And Suzanne Todd and Gary Marsh are executive producers with casting directors Alexis Frank Koczara and Christine Smith Shevchenko.
Descendants: The Rise of Red, TBD, Disney+
