Who will play Cinderella in Descendants: The Rise of Red? Disney princess casting update 

In the Disney film Descendants: The Rise of Red, Brandy Norwood will be portraying the role of Cinderella. She originally played this iconic role of Cinderella in the 1997 telefilm adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic fairy tale musical.

On November 21, 2022, it was announced that she would return to the Descendants universe. Joined by Paolo Montalban, who played Prince Charming in the 1997 telefilm and will reprise their roles as the fairy tale couple.

Descendants: The Rise of Red allows Brandy and Montalban to explore a future for Cinderella and Prince Charming, long after their initial fairy tale ending. It is also revealed that they have a daughter, Chloe Charming (Malia Baker). Brandy told Entertainment Weekly:

"It was so amazing to put on the dress, to put on the crown, to put on the blue hair. It was so amazing to do that and to get that feeling of, 'Wow, this is the '90s all over again.'"

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Who is Brandy Norwood?

Brandy Rayana Norwood aka Brandy is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was born on February 11, 1979, in McComb, Mississippi. She started her career in acting, starring in the UPN sitcom Moesha (1996–2001), for which she won an NAACP Image Award.

She appeared in the slasher film I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) and the reality series Brandy: Special Delivery, documenting the birth of her daughter, Sy’rai Iman Smith, in June 2002.

She has sold over 40 million records worldwide and approximately 8.62 million albums in the United States. Her debut hit single, “I Wanna Be Down,” was her rise to stardom when she released her self-titled debut album at the age of fifteen. The album sold six million copies globally.

Her 1998 single The Boy Is Mine (a duet with Monica) was one of the best-selling female duets of all time. She won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Her second studio album, Never Say Never (1998), achieved critical acclaim and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, selling over 16 million copies worldwide.

Her other albums include Full Moon (2002), Afrodisiac (2004), Human (2008), Two Eleven (2012), B7 (2020), and Christmas with Brandy (2022). She also served as a judge on the first season of America’s Got Talent and participated in Dancing with the Stars season 11.

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What to Expect from Descendants: The Rise of Red?

The trailer for Descendants: The Rise of Red shows Cinderella standing against the Queen of Hearts. The movie will introduce many new heroes, including Red, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe, Cinderalla's daughter.

Audiences will witness the return of the iconic characters of Cinderella and King Charming and other familiar and legacy characters like Uliana and Young Hook will also make appearances.

The central plot of Descendants: The Rise of Red will follow a time-traveling adventure. Red’s mother leads a coup in Auradon, leaving Red with no choice but to team up with Chloe. They must travel back in time to undo a traumatic event and save their mothers from a dark fate.

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The cast of Descendants: The Rise of Red

Apart from Brandy Norwood and Paolo Montalban, the cast of Descendants: The Rise of Red will be joined by many new faces. Rita Ora portrays the villainous ruler, Queen of Hearts. Dara Reneé will play the role of Uliana, Uma's aunt, and Ursula's sister.

Ruby Rose Turner portrays the role of the young Queen of Hearts, Bridget, while Morgan Dudley will be the young Cinderella, Ella. Kylie Cantrall plays the role of Red and Malia Baker as Chloe Charming, Cinderella’s daughter

The cast of Descendants: The Rise of Red also includes other actors like Peder Lindell as Morgie, Joshua Colley as Young Hook, Grace Narducci as Fay/Young Fairy Godmother, Jeremy Swift as Principal Merlin, and Leonardo Nam as Maddox Hatter.

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Descendants: The Rise of Red will be released on July 12, 2024, on Disney+.