Brandy became the first Black actress to play Cinderella in a movie. Twenty-six years later, she is reprising the iconic role.
The singer and actress, who starred in the 1997 TV movie adaptation of “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” will play the princess again in Disney’s “Descendants: The Rise of Red.”
Paolo Montalban, who played the prince Cinderella falls in love with, will also reprise his role in the film, which will stream on Disney+.
The “Descendants” series reimagines the lives of Disney characters from the company’s classic animated movies, by sharing the story of the teenage children of villains, princesses and other Disney characters.
Characters include the daughter of Malecifant, the villain in “Sleeping Beauty,” the son of Dopey, from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and Chad Charming, the son of Cinderella and Prince Charming.
In a behind-the-scenes video shared by Disney+ Brandy and Montalban are dressed in regal attire – and now, he’s not just a prince, but King Charming.
Longtime Disney Channel director and choreographer Kenny Ortega has been behind the previous three “Descendants” films, which were Disney Channel original movies. The newest installment will be a spin off streamed on Disney+ and is directed by Jennifer Phang.
Disney characters from “Alice in Wonderland” and “Peter Pan” will also appear in the film, according to IMDB. Melanie Paxson, who has played the fairy godmother in previous “Descendants” movies will also reprise her role.
In the 1997 film, Whitney Houston played the fairy godmother. Whoopi Goldberg and Victor Garber played the prince’s parents and Bernadette Peters played Cinderella’s wicked stepmother, while Jason Alexander played the prince’s attendant, Lionel.
The movie, which aired on ABC, won an Emmy for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program.
Goldberg had a role in “Descendants” but it was from a different fairy tale. She voiced Ursula from “The Little Mermaid” in the second movie.
