The mega-popular Descendants franchise has reinvigorated the Disney brand in recent years, yet they still haven’t given fans a solid release date for the highly anticipated fifth film.
Descendants began as an original live action movie that aired on the Disney Channel in July 2015. The first movie takes place in the fantasy world of Auradon, and the cast of characters were all plucked from the fairy tales Disney featured in their animated films. Descendants focuses on the children of our favorite fairy tale characters, including the villains, who were banished to the Isle of the Lost. Characters include Ben, son of Queen Belle and King Beast (Mitchell Hope); Carlos, the son of Cruella de Vil (the late Cameron Boyce); Jay, son of Jafar (Booboo Stewart); Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen (Sofia Carson); and the leader of the “Villain’s Kids/VK,” Mal, daughter of Maleficent (Dove Cameron).
A successful franchise from the start
The first film was a big hit among Disney audiences, so the streamer immediately ordered a sequel. Descendants 2 premiered on July 21, 2017, and was simulcast on six channels: ABC, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Freeform, Lifetime, and Lifetime Movies. Unsurprisingly, the movie was also a smash success, but it was soon eclipsed by the third entry into the film franchise. About 4.6 million viewers tuned in to watch Descendants 3 premiere on Disney Channel on February 16, 2018.
As an added bonus, each of the first three films featured original soundtracks that premiered at the top of the pop charts in the United States.
Two more movies were announced in 2021
In 2021, Deadline reported that Gary Marsh was stepping down from his position as president and chief creative officer of Disney Branded Television in order to launch his own company backed by Disney General Entertainment. In his new role, Marsh will develop content for Disney+, Hulu, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, ABC, National Geographic, Freeform, and FX. One of the first projects on his agenda: two more Descendants films.
The first of those two projects came to fruition in July 2024 with the release of a fourth Descendants film: Descendants: The Rise of the Red. This film was more of a spin off and featured an (almost) all-new cast, including Kylie Cantrall as Red, daughter of Queen of Hearts; Malia Baker as Chloe Charming, daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming; China Anne McClain as Uma, daughter of Ursula; Rita Ora as Red’s mother, the Queen of Hearts of Wonderland; and Ruby Rose Turner as Bridget, the young Queen of Hearts.
When can we expect Descendants 5?
The second film referenced in the Marsh announcement would be the fifth in the series. While Disney has been mum about any details for the fifth Descendants film, in August 2024 executive producer Suzanne Todd told TVLine that Disney is “definitely working on and thinking about a follow-up movie.”
What that movie would be about, however, is still anyone’s guess. One popular theory is that turning the Queen of Hearts good somehow made Cinderella into a villain. On that front, Todd tells TVLine, “I can neither confirm nor deny the future good or evil-ness of anybody, other than saying that there will be future good and evil turns for sure. It’s super fun thinking about it and trying to work it out.”
It sounds like the next film is still very much in the brainstorming phase, but take heart! Descendants 5 is definitely in the works at Disney+, and we’ll keep you posted as we learn more. In the meantime, all four of the first four Descendants movies are currently streaming on Disney+.
Published: Aug 27, 2024 01:43 pm