Disney Channel and Disney+ have greenlit Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story, a musical spinoff centered on the children of Disney sidekicks, with production set to begin next week.
It is not the Red and Chloe sequel that Wicked Wonderland teed up in its closing scene. Hidden Heroes arrives with an entirely new cast, a new setting and a new premise.
Inside Sidekick Academy
Per Disney’s logline, a portal hidden at the center of every fairy tale leads to a secret training facility where the descendants of legendary sidekicks compete for a place among the partners of heroes. When a villainous duo arrives at Sidekick Academy, the recruits must save the fairytale realm without their parents and without heroes.
The Cast, Announced By Disney
Disney unveiled the lineup on the official Descendants account alongside a photo from the cast’s table read.
Dior Goodjohn, currently Clarisse La Rue on Percy Jackson and the Olympians, stars as Jennie, daughter of the Genie from Aladdin. Momona Tamada plays Zara, daughter of Yzma, and Jacob Rodriguez plays Kronk Jr. Eva Fossaceca Smedley is Meri, daughter of Merryweather, and Harry Jones is Lou, son of Lumiere. Rhys Dawkins, Connor Wong and Kyra Wong play the Potts siblings, whose individual character names have not been released.
All eight are new to the franchise. Goodjohn previously starred in Head of the Class and Are You Afraid of the Dark. Tamada’s credits include The Baby-Sitters Club and Avatar: The Last Airbender, while Rodriguez has Tell Me Lies and Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado. Smedley appeared in Welcome to Flatch, Jones in Bury Your Nephew, Dawkins in Clickbait, Connor Wong in Cruel Summer and Creepshow, and Kyra Wong in Elle. Disney has not said whether any past cast members will turn up, even in cameo.
What The Announcement Leaves Open
Wicked Wonderland, a direct sequel to Descendants: The Rise of Red, ended on a stinger pointing toward another installment. Fans and outlets have treated the Red and Chloe run as a trilogy in the making since Rise of Red shot under the working title The Pocketwatch, and Disney has clearly plotted further ahead. Kylie Cantrall told Seventeen in June that the studio brought her into a secret meeting to reveal who Red’s father is, a detail she said ties back to the franchise in an unexpected way.
Disney has never announced that third film. Cantrall said last month that she is finished with the franchise, and Hidden Heroes does not settle the question. It widens the universe rather than continuing the story Wicked Wonderland set up.
The Numbers Behind The Greenlight
Wicked Wonderland ranked as the No. 1 movie on Disney+ globally on views from July 17 to 27, and its premiere lifted hours streamed across the franchise’s other four films by 400 percent during the week of July 20. The soundtrack debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard soundtracks chart.
“With Hidden Heroes, we’re finally putting the sidekicks center stage,” Ayo Davis, president of Disney Kids and Family, said in a statement, describing the film as a new chapter that lets audiences see familiar Disney stories from another perspective. The full announcement ran at Deadline, and ABC7 published the complete cast and crew rundown.
Jude Weng, whose credits include Only Murders in the Building and Finding ‘Ohana, directs from a script by Tamara Chestna, Eydie Faye and Emma Fletcher. Chestna executive produces with Gary Marsh, both of Wicked Wonderland, alongside Mark Ordesky and Jane Fleming of Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires. Louise Hradsky and Jeffrey Mortensen choreograph. Disney Kids and Family produces.
No premiere date has been set. Production starts ahead of D23, which opens in Anaheim on August 14.
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