Brandy Will Play Cinderella Again in New DESCENDANTS Installment

Brandy Norwood will return to the role of Cinderella, which she first played in Disney Television's iconic 1997 version of "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella," in a new installment to the Descendants musical franchise on Disney+.

The new film will also feature Morgan Dudley, who recently starred in "Jagged Little Pill" on Broadway.

Brandy will join Rita Ora for a journey to the fantastical kingdom of Auradon in the new film, which is currently titled "The Pocketwatch." Ora 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"), 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 "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").

Brandy appeared in Disney's Cinderella film alongside Whitney Houston, Whoopie Goldberg, Bernadette Peters, Victor Garber, and more.

Photo: Blair Caldwell