Even though the 'Riverdale' star is delighted by the concept of the movie, she is adamant that she will not be accepting the titular role.
- Jul 31, 2018
AceShowbiz - Riverdale star Ashleigh Murray has rejected suggestions that she play Disney's first African princess, Sade.
Deadline recently reported that the studio is helming the story based on an original idea by screenwriters Ola Shokunbi and Lindsey Reed Palmer, while Nigerian-American director Rick Famuyiwa - responsible for The Wood, Brown Sugar and Dope - has been attached to produce the project.
Though delighted by the concept, Ashleigh, who plays Josie McCoy on the teen drama series, was adamant that she would not be accepting the titular role.
"People have tagged me in posts about this new project," the U.S.-born actress posted on Twitter on Sunday, July 29. "It's very sweet and honestly I would love to be a live action Tiana (The Princess and the Frog character), but this princess deserves the African roots, African skin, and African voice that I could never give. #blackgirlmagic #disney #Sade."
People have tagged me in posts about this new project. It’s very sweet and honestly I would love to be a live action Tiana, but this princess deserves the African roots, African skin, and African voice that I could never give. #blackgirlmagic#disney#Sadehttps://t.co/9hNrVdc0HT
— Ashleigh Murray (@iamamurray) 29 July 2018
The fairytale feature follows a young African girl named Sade, who accepts her newly discovered magical warrior powers to protect herself and her people against a mysterious evil force threatening her kingdom.Sade embarks on an adventure with the help of a prince, in which she embraces what makes her special to save the kingdom.
Sade will mark a first-time that an original Disney princess fairytale is led by a female African character, while 2009's The Princess and the Frog featured the studio's first black princess, Tiana, voiced by Dreamgirls actress Anika Noni Rose.
A director has yet to be named, but Scott Falconer will executive produce through the Verse production banner he shares with Famuyiwa, while Tendo Nagenda and Zoe Kent are overseeing the project for the studio.
Marvel's Black Panther, grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide for Disney, breaking numerous box office records including the highest-grossing film by a black director, Ryan Coogler. It is the second-highest-grossing film of 2018 behind Avengers: Infinity War.
