Yara Shahidi, star of ABC’s Black-ish and Freeform’s Grown-ish, will soon take on the role of Tinker Bell in Disney’s upcoming live-action film adaptation of Peter Pan. Shahidi joins a cast that features Alexander Molony as Peter Pan, and Ever Anderson as Wendy.
Peter Pan and Wendy will be an updated version of Disney’s 1953 animated classic film. The story is based on the 1904 play Peter Pan or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J. M. Barrie. In the novel and films, Tinker Bell is a magical fairy who is also Peter Pan’s closet friend.
Shahidi will be the first Black woman to take on the role, which up until now has only been done by white actresses, in a large-scale production.
The decision comes after Disney’s promise to make strides to diversify their casting. Last year, Shahidi’s Grown-ish co-star Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, and Niles Fitch became the first black prince to be cast in the live-action film Secret Society of Second-Born Royals on Disney Plus.
Shahidi took to Instagram to share and celebrate the exciting news with her followers:
A number of celebrities sent congratulatory messages to The Sun Is Also a Star actress in the comment section of the Instagram post.
Riverdale actress commented, “ YES!!!!” Euphoria actress and Emmy-award winner Zendaya also wrote, “yyyyessssssss!!!!!!! Professional tennis player Naomi Osaka commented, “Congratulations” with three red heart emojis, and The Office star Mindy Kaling sent her love with clapping-hand emojis.
Even her fellow co-stars from Black-ish and Grown-ish took the time to send sweet messages to Shahidi. Black-ish actress Marsai Martin commented, “PERIODT,” and R&B duo and fellow Grown-ish co-stars Chloe X Halle said, “woo hoo!!!”
A release date has not yet been announced for the upcoming Disney project. Sources say the release is expected to be a theatrical release, instead of premiering on the Disney Plus streaming platform.