''The Two Princes'' is a scripted

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

action adventure Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...

from

Gimlet Media Gimlet Media LLC is a digital media company and podcast network, focused on producing narrative podcasts and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. The company was founded in 2014 by Alex Blumberg and Matthew Lieber, who serve as the company's CEO ...

. It was created and written by Kevin Christopher Snipes and directed by Mimi O'Donnell. The story focuses on two princes from warring kingdoms who become unwitting allies when they journey into a mysterious forest in order to try and save their realms. Along the way, the two heroes fall in love with each other.

Cast

The official cast was revealed on May 23, 2019. *

Noah Galvin Noah Egidi Galvin (born May 6, 1994) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for playing Dr. Asher Wolke in the TV series '' The Good Doctor'', Kenny O'Neal in the ABC sitcom ''The Real O'Neals'' and later taking over the titular ro ...

as Prince Rupert of the West *

Ari'el Stachel Ari'el Stachel (born July 29, 1991) is an American actor. He won the 2018 Tony Award for Featured Actor in a Musical for his role in ''The Band's Visit''. Early life Stachel was born and raised in Berkeley, California. His father, Aaron Yeshay ...

as Prince Amir of the East *

Christine Baranski Christine Jane Baranski (born May 2, 1952) is an American actress. She is a 15-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee, winning once in 1995 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Maryann Thorpe in the sitcom ''Cybill'' ...

as Queen Lavinia of the West *

Shohreh Aghdashloo Shohreh Aghdashloo ( fa, شهره آغداشلو, ; née Vaziri-Tabar (); 11 May 1952) is an Iranian and American actress. Following numerous starring roles on the stage, she made her film debut in ''Chess of the Wind'' (1976). Her next two film ...

as Queen Atossa of the East *

Samira Wiley Samira Denise Wiley (born April 15, 1987) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as Poussey Washington in the Netflix comedy-drama series '' Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019) and as Moira in the Hulu dystopian dr ...

as Joan *

Alfredo Narciso Alfredo Narciso is an American actor. Early life and education Narciso was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to a Brazilian mother and a Filipino father. He showed an interest in acting from a young age. He began acting in middle school and high sch ...

as Barabbas and The Lord Chamberlain *Mandi Masden as Lady Cecily and Crazy Tooth *

Richard Kind Richard Bruce Kind (born November 22, 1956) is an American actor and comedian, known for his roles as Dr. Mark Devanow in ''Mad About You'' (1992–1999, 2019), Paul Lassiter in ''Spin City'' (1996–2002), Andy in ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' (2002 ...

as Cedric Strangelove *

Matthew Rhys Matthew Rhys Evans ( ; born 8 November 1974) is a Welsh actor. He is known for playing Kevin Walker in '' Brothers & Sisters'' (2006–2011) and Philip Jennings in ''The Americans'' (2013–2018), for which he received two Golden Globe Awar ...

as Sir Percy *

Omar Metwally Omar Metwally is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Dr. Vik Ullah in the Showtime television series '' The Affair'', as well as for '' Rendition'' (2007), ''Munich'' (2005), and ''Miral'' (2010). He has also appeared in the ...

as The King of the East *

Sean Pertwee Sean Carl Roland Pertwee''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007'' (born 4 June 1964) is an English actor, narrator and producer with an extensive career since the 1980s in television and cinema productions. He is known ...

as The King of West *

Laura Benanti Laura Ilene Benanti (née Vidnovic; born July 13, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Over the course of her Broadway career, she has received five Tony Award nominations. She played Louise in the 2008 Broadway revival of '' Gypsy'', winni ...

as Flora *

Daphne Rubin-Vega Daphne Rubin-Vega ( Vega; born November 18, 1969) is a Panamanian-American actress, dancer, and singer-songwriter. She is best known for originating the roles of Mimi Marquez in the Broadway musical ''Rent'' and Lucy in the Off-Broadway play ''J ...

as Arachne *

C. J. Wilson Christopher John Wilson (born November 18, 1980) is an American auto racing team owner and former professional baseball pitcher. Wilson pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers from 2005 to 2011 and the Los Angeles Angel ...

as Brutus *

Cynthia Erivo Cynthia Erivo (; born 8 January 1987) is an English actress, singer, and songwriter. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Grammy Award and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Awa ...

as Queen Malkia of the Midlands *

Tonya Pinkins Tonya Pinkins (born May 30, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. Her award-winning debut feature film ''RED PILL'' was an official selection at the 2021 Pan African Film Festival, won the Best Black Lives Matter Feature and Best First Fea ...

as Upendo *

Gideon Glick Gideon Glick (born June 6, 1988) is an American actor. His Broadway work includes the role of Ernst in the musical '' Spring Awakening,'' Jimmy-6 in '' Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'', Jordan Berman in ''Significant Other,'' and most recently Di ...

as Percy Junior *

Ali Stroker Alyson Mackenzie Stroker (born June 16, 1987) is an American actress, author and singer. She is the first wheelchair-using actor to appear on a Broadway stage, and also the first to be nominated for and win a Tony Award. Stroker was a finalist on ...

as Lorelei *Michael Braun as The Hydra *

Kathryn Kates Kathryn Jane Kates (January 29, 1948 – January 22, 2022) was an American actress. She was known for appearances on ''Seinfeld'' in the episodes "The Rye" and " The Dinner Party." She also appeared in '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', ''Or ...

as The Barkeep *Jonah Fields as Wenceslaus *

Wesley Taylor Wesley Taylor (born August 13, 1986) is an American stage actor and writer, best known for his work in musical theatre and television. Theatre career In summer 2008, Taylor performed in Barrington Stage Company's production of the musical ''See ...

as Prince Darling of the North

Episodes

All episodes of season one were released on June 4, 2019 and all episodes of season two were released in December 11, 2019. The third season was released on October 20, 2020.

Reception

''The Guardian'' named ''The Two Princes'' as the Week's Best Home Entertainment for June 2019. It later named the show one of the Six Best Serialized Podcasts of 2019. Podcast reviewer Wil Williams wrote positively about ''The Two Princes'', stating that while it "isn't perfect, it is fun, sweet and incredibly enjoyable", citing the "high genre, borderline camp setup" and "fantastical plot" alongside a "contemporary sense of humor" as reasons why she believes the podcast works so well. Williams praised the "star-studded" cast, explain that she found herself "laughing out loud throughout the entire first season" and adding that there is "a feeling of joy that comes through in each performance" and that "every actor not only commits, no matter how silly the role, but commits so gleefully, it's infectious and is one of the key reasons ''The Two Princes'' is so genuinely charming". The romance between the two leads was also praised with the reviewer noting that "the tropes here don’t make the romance feel cheesy or contrived, especially in the familiar trappings of the fairytale. Instead, they feel familiar enough to sink into, a sort of predictability that feels comforting versus boring. The Two Princes isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. It’s trying to let a marginalized group actually take that wheel for once". Although critical of the sound design which felt "inorganic and impersonal", Williams concluded that the podcast is "sweet and fun in a way LGBTQ+ audiences don’t often get to hear" and admitted that she "powered through the first season in a day and immediately wanted more". The Nerd Daily provided 7 reasons to listen to ''The Two Princes'': "A truly epic LGBTQ+ romance that ends happily, a dragon named Porridge, strong female characters, complex parent/child relationship that's handled exceptionally well, the sound effects really stand out, the narrative never gets overwhelming, and all the members of the star-studded cast deliver delightful performances!"

Adaptation

In February 2020,

Deadline Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to: * Time limit, a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Deadline (DC Comics), a fictional villain * ''Deadline'' (magazine), a British ...

reported that

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

was in talks with

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

to adapt ''The Two Princes'' into an hour-long animated TV special, though several other parties were also interested in developing the special. Original writer Kevin Snipes is set to work on the adaptation but it has not yet been announced whether the voice cast will reprise their roles.

Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., a flagship of Warner Bros. Discovery. As the successor to Warner Bros. Cartoons, which was active from 1 ...

will animate the special, which will be produced by Chris Giliberti and Justin McGoldrick from

References

External links