Get ready for a return to Auradon as we’re getting a new Descendants movie!
If there’s one thing Disney Channel knows how to do, it’s franchise a movie hit. It’s been done since High School Musical became a monster success in 2006 and still continues today. When said film is a musical, it can be even bigger.
That was the case with Descendants, the 2015 film that reimagined the classic Disney villains. The plot had the bad guys sent to an island by the heroes. The children of Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Jafar and Cruella De Vil were sent to an academy as part of a peace process.
At first baddies, the kids soon grew to enjoy being good guys to turn on their families. The film was a success that inspired two sequels and an animated series.
In 2024, the property was revived in Descendants: The Rise of Red. It focused on Red (Kylie Cantrall), the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe (Malia Baker), the daughter of Cinderella (who, in a brilliant casting coup, was Brandy reprising her role from the 1997 ABC movie).
When Red’s mother pulled a coup to take over the kingdom, Red and Chloe traveled back in time to stop it. They went too far to when their parents were teenagers with Red astounded her cold-hearted mother was once a bright and chipper girl. She turned to darkness after being bullied so the two girls tried to change time by preventing that.
The movie broke streaming records with 6.7 million views in its first three days. Of course, it turned out all right only for Uma (China Anne McClain) to warn Red that changing time to get what you want had consequences.
That was an obvious sequel hook and now it’s coming!
What’s Descendants 5 about?
Deadline confirmed that work has begun on a yet-untitled fifth film in the franchise. Kimmy Gatewood is set to direct from a script by co-executive producer Tamara Chestna and Dan Frey and Ru Sommer. Returning to the franchise are executive producers Suzanne Todd and Gary Marsh. Emmy-winning choreographer Emilio Dosal is handling the music.
“The love for the Descendants franchise runs deep, and the incredible response to Descendants: The Rise of Red last year proved just how much fans are invested in these characters and their stories,” said Ayo Davis, president, Disney Branded Television. “Our next movie will build on that legacy and deliver even more of the magic, music and heart that make Descendants so special — brought to life by an amazing cast and creative team who continue to elevate this world in new and exciting ways.”
The plot is so far unknown, but it likely explores the ramifications of Red and Chloe altering time and is likely to show that it causes a lot of problems.
Who’s in Descendants 5?
Obviously, Cantrall and Baker are back as Red and Chloe. Also back will be Leonardo Nam as Maddox Hatter, son of the Mad Hatter. The two actresses announced the news to fans in a video.
Joining them so far is Liamani Segura as Red’s sister, Pink, with Brendon Tremblay as Mad Hatter’s other son, Max Hatter. Kiara Romero is Hazel Hook, daughter of Captain Hook. Interesting is Alexandro Byrd as Luis Madrigal. Could this be an Encanto crossover?
It’s likely more actors will be joining, and so far, it's unknown if any of the original cast, like Dove Cameron or Sofia Carson, will pop in. Production is likely to start soon with a probable release date of late 2025 or early 2026 on the Disney Channel.
Expect more details to come but given how popular Descendants has become for Disney, fans are excited to see a continuation of the wicked franchise!
Descendants 1-4 streaming on Disney+.