According to Variety, Midnight Mass staff writer Joyce Sherri has been tapped to write and direct the upcoming Disney+ series Tiana, which serves as a spin-off sequel to 2009’s hit animated movie The Princess and the Frog. This comes after three years since the project was first announced at the 2020 Disney Investor Day.
This marks Sherri’s first major TV project as the lead writer and director. Besides being part of the writing team for Mike Flanagan’s 2021 horror series, Sherri has also written a few independent short films including Beauty, Forever, Down, Down, Baby and The Family Romance.
What to expect in Tiana?
Tiana will once again feature the voice of Anika Noni Rose, who has voiced the titular Disney princess in animated projects including Ralph Breaks the Internet. Set after the events of the 2009 movie, the musical series centers around Tiana as she “sets off for a grand new adventure as the newly crowned Princess of Maldonia, but a calling to her New Orleans past isn’t far behind,” reads the logline.
The project will be executive produced by Jennifer Lee and Stella Meghie, with Nathan Curtis producing. Before Sherri boarded the series, Meghie was the one attached to serve as its lead writer and director. It’s unclear why Meghie had decided to vacant the role, but she will remained involved in the project.
The Princess and the Frog was directed by Jon Musker and Ron Clements. The film was inspired by the E.D. Baker’s 2002 novel The Frog Princess and the Brothers Grimm tale The Frog Prince. Set in New Orleans, the animated fantasy followed Tiana, a young woman who dreams of opening up her own restaurant. She accidentally turns into a frog after kissing Prince Naveen an attempt to release him from the Shadow Man’s curse.
