This will be the first time that the role of Tinkerbell has been filled by a black actor, having previously been played by actors including Julia Roberts and Ludivine Sagnier.
Shahidi celebrated the news by reposting a fan drawing of herself as Tinkerbell to Instagram, writing: ‘Thank you for all of the love.
The 20-year-old actor, who is best known for playing Zoey in Black-ish and spin-off series Grown-ish, will portray the fairy in Peter Pan & Wendy, which is being written and directed by Pete’s Dragon director David Lowery.
While other studios have made live action versions of JM Barrie’s classic children’s story, this will be Disney’s first attempt, with their animated version being released in 1953.