Billy Porter, Zachary Quinto, and EJ Johnson have signed on to voice characters in the upcoming Disney+ animated series The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. Porter and Quinto will voice Randall and Barry Leibowitz-Jenkins, respectively, the mixed-race adoptive parents to Keke Palmer’s recently-announced character, 14-year-old activist Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins. Johnson will voice Michael Collins, a non-conforming trendsetter with a penchant and proclivity for fierceness — on and off the basketball court.
Quinto is arguably best known for portraying Spock in the modern Star Trek franchise, but has also starred in Netflix’s The Boys in the Band and played primary villain Sylar in Heroes. Porter is well known for his stage and screen work, appearing on Broadway in Dreamgirls, Hair, and Kinky Boots, yet many know Porter from his character Pray Tell in FX’s Pose. Johnson has starred in Rich Kids of Beverly Hills and Real Husbands of Hollywood.
Porter, Quinto, Johnson, and Palmer will join those reprising their roles from the original sitcom that aired from 2001 to 2005: Kyla Pratt, Tommy Davidson, Paula Jai Parker, JoMarie Payton, Cedric the Entertainer, Carlos Mencia, Maria Canals-Barrera, Alvaro Gutierrez, Karen Malina White, Soleil Moon Frye, and Alisa Reyes.
The revival will pick up where the original left off, chronicling the misadventures of Penny Proud (Pratt) as she navigates her teenage years alongside a wacky and wild family. Of course, Penny’s loyal BFFs — Dijonay (White), LaCienega (Reyes), and Zoey (Frye) — are also coming back for the ride, while Palmer’s character is also expected to receive a great deal of narrative focus.
Proud Family: Louder and Prouder is currently in production and expected to premiere sometime in 2022. The series is executive produced by Bruce W. Smith (Space Jam, The Princess and the Frog) and Ralph Farquhar (Moesha, Married...With Children), both of whom helped spearhead the original. Calvin Brown, Jr. (Moesha, My Brother and Me) serve as co-executive producers and story editors with Jan Hirota (Big Hero 6 The Series) producing and Eastwood Wong (Carmen Sandiego, Steven Universe) taking on the role of art director.
The entire series The Proud Family is available on Disney+ to prepare for the premiere of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder in 2022. Check out a look at the new character images below.
