“Well, ‘Descendants 2’ ended with my character Uma saying the last line that Mal said in ‘Descendants 1’, y’know ‘You didn’t think this was the end of the story, did you?'” said China Anne McClain in an exclusive sit-down with Entertainment Weekly alongside her ‘Descendants 2’ costars Cameron Boyce, Sofia Carson and Booboo Stewart. The quartet were on hand to help announce the Disney Channel’s plan to release a third installment in the hit kids-of-fairy-tale-villains TV movies, due next summer. (You can tell it’s massive when they are announcing it this far in advance.)
The original concept of these films is that the offspring of Disney’s classic villains are invited to attend Auradon Prep, the school where the children of the Disney heroes and princess go. But despite a plan on behalf of their evil parents to steal Fairy Godmother’s wand, the villain kids realize they’re happier being good. The sequel introduced McClain as Uma, the daughter of Ursula from ‘The Little Mermaid’ who caused trouble for the newly heroic “V.K.s” (Villain Kids). And indeed, after an epic clash at sea, Uma was seemingly vanquished, only to resurface post-credits to tease a third film. As McClain revealed, this epilogue wasn’t in the original script, at which point Carson pointed out that Mal’s saying the role wasn’t in the script of the first movie either.
So what will be the focus of the third ‘Descendants’? Watch the teaser below to find out:
Kenny Ortega will return as director, executive producer and choreographer. Though she wasn’t present for the interview, obviously Dove Cameron will return as Mal, the focal character’s of the movies, who is the daughter of ‘Sleeping Beauty”s Maleficent. Boyce portrays Carlos, the son of Cruella DeVille, Carson plays Evie, the daughter of ‘Snow White”s Evil Queen, while Stewart depicts Jay, the son of Jafar from ‘Aladdin’. Mitchell Hope also stars as Ben, the son of Beauty and the Beast, and Mal’s love interest.
Viewers surely noticed that one big element from the first movie was not in the second– the villain parents. Kristin Chenoweth portrayed Maleficent, Kathy Najimi played the Evil Queen, with Wendy Roquel Robinson as Cruella and Maz Jobrani as Jafar.
“You know what a think should and hopefully will happen?” Boyce mused, quickly offering the disclaimer that he didn’t know what the new script will include. “I really, really hope that the parents come back.”
Since this is most likely the final film in the franchise, let’s all hope that Disney brings back these iconic actors and villains for the final installment.
