The beloved franchise The Descendants is getting a new installment with the upcoming The Pocketwatch on Disney+, with the film confirmed to be adding Brandy and Rita Ora to its cast. Part of what makes the upcoming project so exciting is that The Pocketwatch will see Brandy reprising her role as Cinderella, a role which she took on at arguably the height of her career in 1997. The pair join the previously announced ensemble featuring various veterans of The Descendants franchise, along with other newcomers. Stay tuned for details on The Pocketwatch before it eventually makes its way to Disney+.
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Per press release, “Today, Disney+ announced that talented multi-hyphenate performers Brandy and Rita Ora will journey to the fantastical kingdom of Auradon in The Pocketwatch (working title), the latest installment in the music-driven megahit Descendants franchise from Disney Branded Television. Brandy will return to the role of Cinderella, which she first played in Walt Disney Television’s iconic 1997 version of Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Ora, who starred in Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight series and was most recently cast alongside Jamie Foxx and Robert De Niro in the upcoming Tin Soldier, will portray the villainous Queen of Hearts of Alice in Wonderland fame.
“Ora and Brandy join previously announced cast members China Anne McClain (Disney’s Descendants 2 and Descendants 3), Kylie Cantrall (Disney’s Gabby Duran and the Unsittables), and Dara Reneé (Disney’s High School Musical: The Musical: the Series).
“Also being added to the talented cast are Malia Baker (The Babysitter’s Club), Ruby Rose Turner (Disney’s Coop and Cami Ask the World), Morgan Dudley (Jagged Little Pill on Broadway), and Joshua Colley (Senior Year). In addition, fan-favorite Melanie Paxson (Dealbreakers) will reprise her role as Fairy Godmother from the previous Descendants movies.”
Cast breakdown is as follows:
- Brandy as “Cinderella,” the classic Disney character, who is elegant, warm, good-hearted, and diplomatic.
- Rita Ora as the withholding, tyrannical “Queen of Hearts,” who rules over the kingdom of Wonderland with an iron fist.
- Kylie Cantrall as “Red,” the rebellious 16-year-old daughter of the Queen of Hearts. Red knows she’ll never get the Queen’s approval, so she finds ways to provoke her mother and stir up trouble.
- Malia Baker as “Chloe,” the cheerful 16-year-old daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming, who is book smart and athletic, but her privilege makes her somewhat naive about the real world.
- China Anne McClain returns as “Uma,” daughter of the infamous sea-witch Ursula, a role she previously played in Descendants 2 and Descendants 3. Strong and fierce, Uma always fights for what she thinks is right.
- Dara Reneé as “Ulyana,” the younger sister of Ursula. She’s a teen sea-witch and mean-girl bully with eight wicked tentacles and a crew of lackeys.
- Ruby Rose Turner as “Bridget/Young Queen of Hearts,” who is sweet-natured, bubbly, generous, and the complete opposite of her grown-up self.
- Morgan Dudley as “Ella/Young Cinderella,” who is blunt, pragmatic, and has a bit of a chip on her shoulder about being forced to work for her wicked stepmother.
- Joshua Colley as “Hook,” one of Ulyana’s sycophants, a rich kid with a hoop earring and a shiny hook where his left hand should be. His arrogance is only surpassed by his vanity.
- Melanie Paxson returns as “Fairy Godmother,” the wise and kind headmistress of Auradon Prep, who appeared in all three Descendants movies.
“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. The bold new story of The Pocketwatch 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.
“The expansive new story finds polar opposites Red and Chloe crossing paths at a momentous celebration in Auradon when unexpected chaos breaks out. In order to prevent an impending coup, they must join forces to travel back in time, via a magical pocket watch created by the Mad Hatter’s son, to stop an event that would lead to grave consequences.
“Lauded filmmaker Jennifer Phang (Advantageous, Half-Life, Foundation, The Flight Attendant) is the director and co-executive producer of The Pocketwatch, and the script was written by Dan Frey and Russell Sommer (Magic: The Gathering). Returning to the franchise is production designer Mark Hofeling (Descendants, Zombies, High School Musical). Suzanne Todd (Noelle) and Gary Marsh are executive producers and the casting directors are Alexis Frank Koczara and Christine Smith Shevchenko (The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers).”
Stay tuned for details on The Pocketwatch.
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