BRANDY AND RITA ORA JOIN THE ‘DESCENDANTS’ FRANCHISE

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.
 
The cast breakdown is as follows:
 

• Brandy is “Cinderella,” the classic Disney character, who is elegant, warm, good-hearted, and diplomatic. 
   
• Rita Ora is 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, 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 is “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,” 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, is 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 opposites Red and Chloe crossing paths at a momentous celebration in Auradon when unexpected chaos breaks out. 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”).