Cole Sprouse Defends Kim Possible Casting From Haters

In case you missed it, Kim Possible is returning to the Disney Channel. But this time the titular crime-fighting teenager and her sidekick Ron Stoppable will appear in live-action form with Sadie Stanley and Sean Giambrone starring as the respective characters.

The announcement came by way of a fun video starring Christy Carlson Romano and Will Friedle, who voiced the animated versions of Kim and Ron. While many fans of the original series are excited to see the beloved cartoon come to life, some took to Twitter to share their disappointment with the casting decisions.

Now, it’s one thing to not want to see yet another reboot or remake, but it’s a whole other to leave rude and hurtful comments. And “fans” doing the latter understandably set off former Disney Channel and current Riverdale star Cole Sprouse.

After seeing the harsh comments directed towards Stanley and Giambrone, the actor took to Twitter to remind social media haters that cyberbullying is ridiculous, particularly when the hate is directed towards kids and young teens.

"Lot of adults in this post directing hate towards a couple kids simply because their cartoon doesn’t look the same anymore,” Sprouse wrote in the post. "You guys need to grow the hell up and realize you’re talking about kids who are likely happy to have gotten the job. Kids who, in some way, might hear you."

The fact that the actors are underage is reason enough for haters to keep their negative comments to themselves. But then adding insult to injury, the majority of the comments center around the fact that the actors don’t have the same hair or eye color as the original characters, as if wigs and colored contacts don’t exist.

But, despite the ignorant backlash, Judy Taylor, Disney Channel’s casting and talent relations senior vice president, shared why Stanley and Giambrone were chosen for the roles with Oh My Disney. “Sadie delivers Kim’s confidence, smarts, and agility; most importantly, she’s an everyday girl with an extraordinary spirit. Sean is such a magnetic actor; he always finds the right balance of physical comedy and heart. We’re excited for audiences to see Sadie and Sean bring these iconic roles to life,” Taylor said.

The Disney Channel Original Movie remake is set to go into production this summer and to debut in 2019, according to Deadline. And regardless of how it turns out, the young stars definitely don’t deserve any hate. Kudos to Sprouse for recognizing this and speaking up.