First look: Daniel Radcliffe stuns as Prince Charming in Netflix’s daring Cinderella reimagining Steps
Netflix drops the first look at Daniel Radcliffe as Prince Charming in STEPS, a Cinderella remix that flips the script by recasting the infamous stepsisters as kind and misunderstood.
Fairy tales keep sticking around because people won’t stop remixing them. Case in point: Netflix Animation ’s 'Steps' is coming this fall with Daniel Radcliffe playing Prince Charming — and the movie is very much not interested in the usual glass-slipper routine.
The twist this time
'Steps' is an animated comedy landing on Netflix on November 20, 2026. Instead of chasing Cinderella’s happily-ever-after, it swings the camera to her so-called wicked stepsisters, Lilith and Margot, who are over being background characters in Ella’s legend. In a messy grab at freedom, Lilith nicks the Fairy Godmother’s wand and accidentally clears the path for a new ruler, Queen Priscilla, to snatch the throne. The fix? The stepsisters have to team up with the very girl they’ve been resenting. It’s more character-focused than a straight retelling — sparkly fantasy with actual feelings, and a deliberate poke at the 'evil stepsisters' trope and the idea that Prince Charming exists mostly to lug footwear around the kingdom.
Cast and who’s playing who
- Daniel Radcliffe as Prince Charming — a bright-eyed, slightly offbeat royal, more than just a perfect smile
- Ali Wong as Lilith — stepsister, impatient with living in Cinderella’s shadow
- Stephanie Hsu as Margot — the other stepsister, equally done with it
- Amanda Seyfried as Cinderella — yes, she’s here, and not just as a plot device
- Bette Midler as the Fairy Godmother — owner of the wand that should probably be in a safe
- Nikki Glaser as Queen Priscilla — opportunist who seizes the crown when things go sideways
- Peter Dinklage as Roderick — a so-called 'man-nanny' who’s both deadly and soft-hearted
- Young Mazino as Gef — a troll, and somehow a heartthrob, because why not
First look, vibe, and who’s steering the ship
Early images show Radcliffe’s prince with classic fairy-tale wide eyes filtered through a cleaner, modern animation style. The tone leans holiday-friendly — sisterly redemption, messy choices, and a bunch of flipped expectations — and the whole thing is directed by Alyce Tzue and John Ripa.
Radcliffe’s real-world angle
Playing a prince who has to live up to a legend lines up neatly with Radcliffe’s off-screen honesty about fame and pressure. He recently argued that child actors should get therapy as a matter of course, not just when something goes wrong.
"Normalize it, start therapy before you need it."
That line comes from his chat with Bustle’s 'One Nightstand With Daniel Radcliffe' series, and it tracks with the movie’s broader interest in stripping shiny labels off perfect princes and cartoon villains to see the people underneath.