Darren Criss and James Monroe Iglehart are joining the cast of the upcoming new Descendants movie!
The Tony Award-winning actors are two of six new casting announcements, playing popular Disney sidekicks in Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story.
Darren has been cast as Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio, while James has been cast as Genie from Aladdin.
If you didn’t know, James is actually no stranger to playing Genie, as he originated the role in the Broadway musical adaptation of Aladdin, which earned him the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical!
Also joining the cast are Camp Rock 3‘s Sherry Cola, Hugo Ateo, Sean Yves Lessard, and Dan Bakkedahl.
Sherry will portray Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove; Hugo is playing Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove; Sean will play Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast; and Dan will portray Yen Sid from The Sorcerer’s Apprentice in Fantasia.
The above actors join the previously announced young stars of the upcoming movie, which is the sixth in the Descendants franchise.
What is Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story about?
Hidden in the center of each fairy tale is a portal to a secret training facility where the descendants of legendary sidekicks are challenged to join the elite ranks of partners to heroes. When a villainous duo comes to Sidekick Academy, a group of fresh recruits must band together — without heroes, without parents — using only their new skills to save the fairytale realm before it’s too late.
Jude Weng is serving as director, with a script by Tamara Chestna, Eydie Faye and Emma Fletcher. If you didn’t know, Tamara also wrote the recently released Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, while Eydie wrote the upcoming Camp Rock 3 and Zombies 5: Secrets of the Sea!
“One of the things that has always made Descendants so special is the way it invites audiences to experience familiar Disney stories through an entirely new perspective,” Ayo Davis, president, Disney Kids & Family, shared in a statement. “With Hidden Heroes, we’re finally putting the sidekicks center stage, because they’ve always been an essential part of Disney’s greatest adventures. It’s a fun, surprising new chapter that expands the Descendants universe with all the music, dance and heart fans love and expect from the franchise.”
Filming on the music-and-dance-fueled movie is currently underway. Check out the first official photos from set!
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