The battle to see who will be the next Princess Tiana appears to be already taking place after award-winning singer and songwriter Ari Lennox shared what looked to be an audition tape for the role of Tiana in Disney’s new The Princess and The Frog live-action remake.
The video begins with Lennox reciting Princess Tiana’s line “Mama, I don’t have time for dancing” before singing the famous track, “Almost There,” originally sung by actress Anika Noni Rose, who voiced the character in the animated version of the film in 2009.
The 31-year-old captioned the Twitter post, “Hi @Disney. I’m Ari Lennox and I would love an opportunity to audition for Princess and The Frog in person.” It wasn’t long before the “Shea Butter Baby” singer began receiving approval from supporters online, including one person who wrote, “Yess! And cast Anika as Tiana’s mom !”
We must note that details about the new film are scarce, and nothing has been confirmed. However, that didn’t stop fans from adding more names to their wish list of potential leading ladies, including Bel-Air actress and singer Coco Jones.
While the name may be new to some, the singer and actress is a former Disney child star and has appeared in several shows, including So Random, Good Luck Charlie, and the Disney film, Let It Shine!
Jones initially reacted to the possibility of getting the role during an appearance on The Wayne Ayers Podcast last year, stating she would “love that.” She added, “I mean, Disney has been such a huge part of my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s made me who I am. I’m always here for the representation.”
Fans on social media have also discussed several other potential leading ladies, including Chloé Bailey, Ryan Destiny, Normani, Anika Noni, and many more.
Disney is gearing up to release a couple of new live-action films, including The Little Mermaid featuring actress Halle Bailey and Grown-ish star Yara Shahidi was also cast to portray Tinker Bell in the live-action Peter Pan and Wendy, set for release on April 28.