Star Wars' Kelly Marie Tran will make Disney history with her lead role in Raya and the Last Dragon

Kelly Marie Tran arrives for the 90th Annual Academy Awards on March 4, 2018, in Hollywood, California.
(Image credit: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

For those Star Wars fans who wanted justice for Kelly Marie Tran after The Rise of Skywalker, we've got some good news: Disney is about to actually give her some lines.

The Rose Tico actress is set to star in Disney’s new animated movie Raya and the Last Dragon, making her the first Southeast Asian actress ever to lead a Disney animated film, Entertainment Weekly revealed on Thursday. Tran is voicing the titular Raya in the film, which EW notes is also the first of Disney's animated movies to be inspired by Southeast Asia, and she'll be starring alongside Awkwafina. Cassie Steele had previously been cast in the role.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.