Actress and musician Dove Cameron was among the stars not to reprise her Disney Channel role for Descendants: The Rise of Red.
Cameron took on a major role as Mal in the first three Descendants movies only for her and the original cast to pass up on The Rise of Red.
Why Isn't Dove Cameron in Descendants 4?
As reported by Deadline, Descendants 4 was announced in September 2021 with no story or casting information revealed. This came after a tragedy in the Descendants family in July 2019 when Cameron Boyce, one of the stars of the first three movies, passed away at age 20 due to complications from epilepsy.
Shortly after his passing in December 2019, Dove Cameron spoke to Hollywood Life and told how making another movie without Boyce may feel "super wrong:"
"What happened was so incredibly heart-wrenching for all of us and something we could not recover from. And so, I think that the idea of making another movie, while it would be nostalgic for all of us and while it would be healing in a lot of ways, it might also be super wrong."
Cameron later explained to PopBuzz how she would "say no" to any more Descendants movies as it wouldn't be the same "without the whole original cast:"
"I'm gonna say no, because I don't think it would be the same without the whole original cast. It would just be different now and also we did it. We told a full story. We completed it."
It appears Cameron and the Descendants cast had no interest in continuing the saga after Boyce's passing due to the bond they formed over the years.
[ What Happened to Carlos In Descendants 4? Cameron Boyce's Character Departure Explained ]
How Did Descendants 4 Explain Dove Cameron's Absence?
Descendants: The Rise of Red once again returned to Auradon Prep's school for heroes and villains, now under the leadership of Principal Uma.
While Descendants 4 sets its focus on a new cast, Mal and Ben were referenced by Uma in The Rise of Red. The new principal explained how the couple left her in charge of the school as they set sail to broker peace with other kingdoms.
It was noted how Mal and Ben are conducting their peace-brokering mission with the help of Evil and Jay, thus explaining the absence of the familiar cast.
This comes after Cameron's Mal and Mitchell Hope's Ben were featured in the marketing for The Rise of Red, but ultimately made no on-screen appearance.
Descendants: The Rise of Red is streaming now on Disney+ and is scheduled for a Disney Channel premiere on August 9.
Read more about Descendants: The Rise of Red below:
Descendants 4: Who Is Morgana le Fay? Disney Character Explained
Descendants 4: Disney Announces the 15 Main Cast Members
Who Is Kylie Cantrall? 5 Things to Know About Descendants' Red Actress
