Niles Fitch has just made history with a new groundbreaking role as Disney’s first black live-action prince. The actor, who plays a young Randall Pearson on NBC’s hit show ‘This Is Us’, has signed on to play a prince in the upcoming sci-film ‘Secret Society of Second-Born Royals’ on Disney+.
On his Facebook page, the actor said “Welcome Disney’s first live-action Black prince! Coming to your home screens as Prince Tuma, streaming on Disney+ in Summer 2020!!”.
Fitch’s character is one of the secret society members, all of whom are second-born royals. The 18-year-old plays the self-centred and charismatic Prince Tuma, Entertainment Weekly reports.
The film, which is based on an original story by Litvak, Green, and Austin Winsberg is being directed by Anna Mastro with a screenplay co-written by Alex Livak and Andrew Green.
The film introduces Sam (Andi Mack’s Peyton Elizabeth Lee), a rebellious teen living in the kingdom of Illyria and in the shadow of her older sister Princess Eleanor (Ashley Liao), who is next in line for the throne.
Being younger means Sam gets superpowers and she gets drafted into a top-secret group of other gifted young recruits responsible for the world’s safety. “Sam is going to be a unique addition to the Disney princess family because she doesn’t want to be a princess, she doesn’t want to be royalty,” actress Peyton Elizabeth Lee, who plays Sam, said.
“Because of that, it takes her on this journey of figuring out how to make it work for herself that’s going to break that delicate princess mold. When she finds this secret society that feels the same way, they figure out how to create their own legacy and have an impact on their country and the world.”