The original Winx Club had a pretty diverse cast, as do most properties aimed at children. In addition to various Caucasian characters, the cast included Musa, who was Asian, Aisha, who was black, and Flora, who was Latina.
But when Fate: The Winx Saga, a dark live-action adaptation, hit Netflix earlier this year, fans were outraged when Aisha (Precious Mustapha) was given a minimal storyline, Musa was played by a non-Asian actor (Elisha Applebaum), and Flora was completely omitted, replaced by her Caucasian cousin, Terra (Eliot Salt).
I mean… it’s 2021, people. C’mon.
But there will be a bit more diversity in Season 2, as Paulina Chávez has been cast as Flora. In addition, S2 has added Éanna Hardwicke as a character named Sebastian and newcomer Brandon Grace as Grey.
Like Terra, Flora is a nature fairy.
Chávez previously starred on the Netflix comedy The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia. Hardwick previously appeared on the British drama Normal People (available on Hulu in the U.S.) and the upcoming Irish thriller Smother. He also had roles in the films The Eclipse and Vivarium. Grace has no prior screen credits.
Brian Young developed Fate: The Winx Saga for Netflix.
In addition to Applebaum, Mustapha, and Salt, the existing cast includes Abigail Cowen as Bloom Peters, Hannah van der Westhuysen as Stella, Danny Griffin as Sky, Sadie Soverall as Beatrix, Freddie Thorp as Riven, Eva Birthistle as Vanessa Peters, Robert James-Collier as Saul Silva, Eve Best as Farah Dowling, and Lesley Sharp as Rosalind.
Fate: The Winx Saga also features in recurring roles Theo Graham as Dane, Josh Cowdery as Mike Peters, Alex Macqueen as Professor Harvey, Jacob Dudman as Sam Harvey, Kate Fleetwood as Queen Luna, and Ken Duken as Andreas.
Bloom, a fairy with fire powers, enrolls at a magical boarding school in the Otherworld called Alfea College. There, she shares a suite with Stella (a light fairy), Aisha (a water fairy), Terra (an earth fairy), and Musa (a mind fairy). With the help of her four new friends, Bloom starts to learn more about her past. Meanwhile, ancient creatures called the Burned Ones return to the Otherworld and threaten everyone at Alfea.
Fate: The Winx Saga Season 2 is currently filming in County Wicklow, Ireland, and does not have a release date. Stay tuned for updates as they arrive.
