Disney announced today that Brandy will reprise her role as the iconic character of Cinderella in the upcoming television film Descendants: The Rise of Red.
Footage from the set of the made-for-tv movie was released earlier, giving it an official first look, per a report by Entertainment Weekly. This first installment of the Descendants franchise comes with high anticipation, especially from the millions of fairytale fans around the world. 26 years ago, the Grammy Award-winning singer starred alongside Whitney Houston’s Fairy Godmother in the 1997 television movie Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Whoopi Goldberg, Victor Garber, Natalie Desselle Reid, Bernadette Peters and Jason Alexander also appeared in the 1997 film, which earned seven Emmy nominations at the time, including for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special.
Descendants: The Rise of Red will also feature Rita Ora as the tyrannical Queen of Hearts. Additional cast members include China Anne McClain as Uma; Morgan Dudley as Ella, the younger version of Cinderella; Melanie Paxson as the Fairy Godmother, and the return of Paolo Montalban, who played Brandy’s Prince Charming in the 1997 movie.
According to Variety, Brandy was cast in the forthcoming project – which at the time was titled The Pocketwatch – last November. The film centers on the relationship between Red (Kylie Cantrall), the rebellious teenage daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe (Mia Baker), the cheerful but naive daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming. The two must travel back in time to prevent the destruction of their home, the kingdom of Auradon.
Disney+ has yet to announce a release date for the film, which is directed by Jennifer Phang and written by Dan Frey and Russell Sommer.