Descendants: The Rise of Red is an upcoming musical fantasy film directed by Jennifer Phang, with a screenplay by Dan Frey and Russell Sommer. Produced by Disney Channel, the film is the fourth in the Descendants franchise, serving as a spin-off of the previous three films and a follow-up to Descendants: The Royal Wedding. The film is set to premiere on Disney+ on 12 July 2024 and on Disney Channel on 9 August 2024.
Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker star as Red, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, and Chloe Charming, the daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming, respectively. China Anne McClain and Melanie Paxson reprise their roles as Uma and Fairy Godmother from the previous Descendants films. Cinderella and King Charming are portrayed by Brandy and Paolo Montalban, who previously played these characters in the 1997 television adaptation of Cinderella.
Synopsis
Uma, now the headmistress of Auradon Prep, invites Princess Red, the rebellious daughter of the tyrannical Queen of Hearts from Wonderland. The Queen of Hearts, who holds a long-standing grudge against Auradon and particularly Cinderella, seizes this opportunity for revenge when she drops her daughter off at the school. As the Queen of Hearts incites a coup against Auradon, Red must team up with Cinderella's perfectionist daughter Chloe and travel back in time to prevent the traumatic event that led her mother down her villainous path.
Cast
- Kylie Cantrall as Red, daughter of the Queen of Hearts
- Malia Baker as Chloe Charming, daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming
- China Anne McClain as Uma, daughter of Ursula
- Dara Reneé as Uliana, the younger sister of Ursula and aunt of Uma
- Rita Ora as the Queen of Hearts, Red's mother
- Ruby Rose Turner as Bridget, the young Queen of Hearts
- Brandy Norwood as Cinderella, Chloe's mother
- Morgan Dudley as Ella, the young Cinderella
- Paolo Montalban as King Charming, Chloe's father
- Tristan Padil as the teenage Prince Charming
- Melanie Paxson as Fairy Godmother
- Grace Narducci as Fay, the young Fairy Godmother
- Levin Valayil as Aladdin
- Kabir Bery as the teenage Aladdin
- Shazia Pascal as Jasmine
- Aiza Azaar as the young Jasmine
- Jeremy Swift as Merlin
- Leonardo Nam as Maddox, son of the Mad Hatter
- Alex Boniello as Jack of Diamonds, captain of the Queen of Hearts' Red Army
- Sam Morelos as Zellie, the young Rapunzel
- Peder Lindell as Morgie, son of Morgana le Fay
- Marissa "Mars" Kruep as the young Maleficent
- Joshua Colley as the young Hook
- Anthony Pyatt as the young Hades
- Julee Cerda as Lady Tremaine
- Jake Mager as Prince Adán, the teenage version of The Beast from Beauty and the Beast
Production
On 18 August 2021, after the release of the animated special Descendants: The Royal Wedding, Lauren Kisilevsky, Senior Vice President of Original Movies for Disney Branded Television, hinted at future stories, explaining that the cliffhanger was included because the Descendants films often end with hints at additional stories.
On 21 September 2021, it was confirmed that a fourth Descendants film was in development as part of an overall deal between Disney and Gary Marsh's production company. By May 2022, the film was greenlit by Disney+ as a spin-off under the working title The Pocketwatch. Jennifer Phang was hired as director and co-executive producer, with Dan Frey and Russell Sommer writing the screenplay and Gary Marsh serving as executive producer.
On 21 March 2023, the film's official title was announced as Descendants: The Rise of Red.
Filming
Filming for Descendants: The Rise of Red began in early January 2023 under its working title The Pocketwatch. Mark Hofeling returned as the production designer from the original trilogy. Phang emphasized the importance of choreography in action sequences to convey an emotional story. For the design of Wonderland, Phang drew inspiration from the 1951 Alice in Wonderland film as well as her previous filmmaking experiences. Filming took place in Atlanta starting at the end of January 2023 and continued through mid-March.
Casting
At the 2022 D23 Expo, it was announced that China Anne McClain would return as Uma, with Kylie Cantrall as Red and Dara Reneé as Ulyana joining the cast. In November 2022, it was revealed that Brandy Norwood would reprise her role as Cinderella, and Melanie Paxson would return as the Fairy Godmother. New cast members include Rita Ora as the Queen of Hearts, Malia Baker, Ruby Rose Turner, Morgan Dudley, and Joshua Colley. In February 2023, Jeremy Swift and Leonardo Nam were added to the cast. In March 2023, it was announced that Paolo Montalban would portray King Charming, reprising his role from the 1997 film Cinderella. Alex Boniello was also cast as Jack of Diamonds.
Visual Effects
According to Phang, visual effects will be used to "enhance" the film's locations.
Soundtrack
Descendants: The Rise of Red will feature seven original songs and tracks from animated Disney films. The first single, "What's My Name (Red Version)," was released on 26 April 2024, along with the pre-order of the soundtrack. The soundtrack will be released on 12 July 2024, coinciding with the film's release. The second single, "Red," was released on 21 June 2024.
Release
Descendants: The Rise of Red is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on 12 July 2024, followed by a Disney Channel premiere on 9 August 2024.