Niles Fitch has signed on to portray Disney’s first-ever live-action prince. The This Is Us star will play the charismatic and self-centered Prince Tuma in the upcoming Disney+ original film, Secret Society of Second-Born Royals.
The film, which will bring some welcome new content in an increasingly desolate era for TV, was announced by Disney+ via Twitter on Friday. It’s described as a sci-fi/fantasy film that focuses on a group of kids who might not be first in line for the throne but do inherit superpowers, which they will have to use in order to save the world. Specifically, they’ll have to face off against the mysterious villain known only as Inmate 34 (Greg Bryk), who has plans for global domination. The film is expected to premiere on the streaming platform sometime this summer.
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Second in line for the throne. First in line to save the world. Secret Society of Second-Born Royals, an Original Movie, coming Summer 2020 to #DisneyPlus. #SSSBR pic.twitter.com/a2FY5mNhYr
— Disney+ (@disneyplus) April 17, 2020
Fitch also announced the news on his own Instagram on Friday. Along with some stills from the film the actor proudly declared, “Welcome Disney’s first Black prince” in the caption. The post earned an overwhelming amount of praise from commenters, including some of Fitch’s upcoming co-stars.
Star Peyton Elizabeth Lee, who plays Sam, spoke to Entertainment Weekly about how her own character fits into Disney’s larger royal pantheon. “Sam has always felt like not only is she second born, but she is also second best. She is struggling to find where she can shine and where she belongs. 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. 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.”
On This Is Us, Fitch is tasked with portraying a young Randall Pearson, who’s played by Sterling K. Brown. He was initially a guest star but promoted to a series regular in Season 2 along with his other teenage counterparts. His work on the tearjerking drama earned helped earn the show a Screen Actors Guild Award for best ensemble.
The fourth season of This Is Us concluded back in March and managed to spill a number of the show’s biggest secrets along the way. The show has been renewed through Season 6, though it’s unclear how the industry-wide shutdowns have impacted its production schedule at this time.
