On Panda Day in March, Netflix stunned us by disclosing that a new Kung Fu Panda series was in development. At the time, the streamer revealed that Po (voiced by Jack Black) would be accompanied in this new adventure by an English knight in Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight.
Now it’s time to follow up on that: the knight’s name is Wandering Blade, and Rita Ora will play her! Po and Wandering Blade embark on a mission to locate and recover a set of strong weapons stolen by two weasels in the series.
Ora’s first major role as a voice actress is in Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight. It’s not the first time the world-famous pop sensation has dabbled with acting: fans of the Fifty Shades of Grey series may recall her as Mia Grey, the millionaire heartthrob Christian Grey’s sister (Jamie Dornan). Ora also appeared in Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, Southpaw, and Furious 6.
Along with Ora’s announcement, Netflix released some first-look photographs of her character, who appears to be a full-fledged knight, complete with armour and an awesome-looking sword – a comical contrast to Po, who is usually simply “geared up” in his shorts. Wandering Blade also has a three-pronged mark on her forehead, as well as a large scar on the left side of her face, indicating she’s been in a few fights.
In addition, Netflix used the occasion to reveal that a franchise veteran will be joining Jack Black. Po’s father, Mr. Ping, will be voiced by James Hong (Everything Everywhere All At Once). Hong has appeared in several Kung Fu Panda spin-offs, including Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny and Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, where he played Mr. Ping.
Klaus Dumont is played by Chris Geere (This Is Us), Veruca Dumont is played by Della Saba (Physical), Rukhmini is played by Rahnuma Panthaky (Teen Wolf), Colin is played by Ed Weeks (The Mindy Project), and Pei Pei is played by Amy Hill (Magnum P.I.).