Netflix is preparing to take audiences back to the ’90s with their reboot of Carmen Sandiego. The first of a proposed franchise, set to include a live-action feature, features the voice of Jane the Virgin‘s Gina Rodriguez as the titular fedora-wearing super-thief. IMDb hasn’t announced the full list of actors whose voices are included in the series, but they have announced a special cameo to be on the lookout for.
The streaming company has released a brief clip from the new Carmen Sandiego that sees Rodriguez’s Carmen engage with a mystery woman whose voice might sound a lot like Rita Moreno. And that’s because it IS Rita Moreno. Moreno will play one of many evildoers on the Isle of V.I.L.E. where Carmen has been raised. As seen in the clip, Moreno’s character advocates to a young Carmen that “white collar crime” is the way to go. The distinct animation style looks fantastic, and it’s wonderful hearing Moreno purr out her “arrivederci.” Moreno will be familiar to kids who grew up with the original Carmen Sandiego cartoon that ran from 1994-1999 where the Puerto Rican actress played the title character.
Moreno is ultra popular right now. Between her cameo here she also lends her talents to Netflix’s family sitcom, One Day at a Time, soon to enter its third season. She’s also receiving a role all to herself in Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story. Having watched five of the new Carmen Sandiego episodes, Moreno’s role is brief, but it’s fantastic seeing the show pay homage to Moreno’s original role. It’s almost like a passing of the torch to Rodriguez’s new iteration.
Carmen Sandiego is streaming on Netflix as of January 18, 2019.