Disney’s musical franchise returns after nearly two decades.
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES — July 2026. Disney has officially approved The Cheetah Girls: Next Gen, a new film that will revive the musical franchise more than two decades after its original debut. Raven-Symoné will return as Galleria “Bubbles” Garibaldi and will also serve as an executive producer. Adrienne Bailon-Houghton will reprise her role as Chanel “Chuchie” Simmons. The production is being developed for Disney Channel and Disney+.
Sabrina Bryan will make a special appearance as Dorinda “Do” Thomas, while Lynn Whitfield and Lori Alter will return as Dorothea Garibaldi and Juanita Simmons. Kiely Williams, who played Aqua in the original films, was not included in the announced cast. The reunion therefore brings back several central figures without fully restoring the original quartet. Raven-Symoné’s participation is especially significant because she was absent from the franchise’s third movie.
The story will introduce a new generation led by Faith, Galleria’s daughter, played by Leah Sava’ Jeffries. Carmen Sanchez will portray Dior, Chanel’s younger sister, while Kaileen Chang, Sophie Lennon and South African newcomer Kamogelo Ramashala complete the new group. The characters will travel to Africa to volunteer at a wildlife sanctuary. Their experience will test their friendship before leading them toward the stage as the next Cheetah Girls.
The film will preserve the franchise’s central themes of friendship, music, cultural diversity and female empowerment. Director Billie Woodruff, who worked on the first two movies, will return to guide the project. Production is expected to begin in South Africa during July. Disney has not yet announced an official release date.
The original Cheetah Girls premiered in 2003 and became one of Disney Channel’s defining musical productions. Its sequels expanded the story to Spain and India while building a generation of viewers around the group’s message of unity and self-expression. Next Gen will attempt to connect that nostalgic audience with younger viewers discovering the franchise for the first time. The Cheetah spirit is returning with familiar faces and an entirely new voice.
The original legacy is ready to inspire another generation.