'The Little Mermaid': Release date, plot, cast, and everything you need to know about Disney's live-action remake
Still under the spell of the live-action musical fantasy film 'Aladdin' starring Will Smith? Well, there's more to look forward to. Disney seems to be on a spree of releasing back-to-back live-action film adaptations, including 'Dumbo' and the upcoming 'Lion King' remake featuring Beyoncé, Donald Glover and James Earl Jones. Leaving fans in a tizzy, a remake of the much loved 1989 classic 'The Little Mermaid' has now been added to the list.
Director Rob Marshall is all set to give an all-new live-action/CGI take on the classic animated film. It was reported by Variety that two-time Oscar nominee and comedian Melissa McCarthy is in "early talks" to play the sea witch Ursula in the movie. With all the buzz surrounding the cast in the movie, the production house is gearing up to make fitting casting choices to pay homage to the treasured animated original.
Disney also announced that its lead character will be played by American singer Halle Bailey. "After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence and substance — plus a glorious singing voice — all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role,” said Marshall in a statement.
Release date
Disney has not announced an official release date for 'The Little Mermaid' remake yet but we will keep refreshing this space with the latest updates.
Plot
Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, the story of 'The Little Mermaid' is centered around Ariel, a young mermaid princess, who wishes to be a human after falling head over heels for Prince Eric. To start living with him on land, she trades her voice for a pair of legs with the sea witch Ursula. However, that ends up being too much to ask for.
Cast
Melissa McCarthy
According to a report in Variety, McCarthy is in "early talks" to play the sea witch Ursula in the live-action adaptation of 'The Little Mermaid'. However, the deal has not yet been finalized. The actor and comedy queen is known for her roles in 'Gilmore Girls' (2000), Bridesmaids (2011), Spy (2015) and Ghostbusters (2016). Last seen in 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?', the actress earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
Awkwafina
Nora Lum, popularly known as Awkwafina, is in talks to play Ariel's close friend in the movie. Buzz is that the actress will voice Scuttle, a seagull and friend to the mermaid princess. The American rapper and actress made her breakthrough in 2018 with her roles in 'Ocean's 8' and 'Crazy Rich Asians'.
Jacob Tremblay
Tremblay is in discussion for the role of tropical fish Flounder, best friend to princess Ariel. The Canadian child actor gave his breakout performance when he starred as Jack Newsome in the movie 'Room'. The 12-year-old also played a role opposite Julia Roberts in the sleeper hit 'Wonder' and will now be seen in 'Doctor Sleep', the sequel to 'The Shining'.
Halle Bailey
Bailey has been cast as the mermaid princess in the film. The 19-year-old actor will get into the skin of Ariel, the rebellious daughter of King Triton who longs to live on dry land. The actress, who forms R&B duo Chloe x Halle with her sister, signed to Beyoncé's Parkwood Entertainment label after gaining popularity with YouTube covers. With her only other screen credit as a supporting actor on Freeform's Yara Shahidi series 'Grown-ish', 'The Little Mermaid' seems to be a breakout role for Bailey.
Harry Styles
Former One Direction band member Harry Styles might be locked to play the role of Prince Eric. While there is no confirmation on it, reports say that Harry has been eyeing the part and is in talks with the makers for the project. The singer made his acting debut with Christopher Nolan's World War II drama 'Dunkirk'.
Director / Writer
Rob Marshall
Marshall is all set to present the live-action film adaptation of the animated original. With films like 'Chicago' and 'Mary Poppins Returns' in his kitty, he seems like the right choice.
The movie will be co-produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda along with Marc Platt and Joh DeLuca. Alan Menken, who composed the songs for the original film, is reportedly back to write new music. He will craft the lyrics with Miranda.
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'Aladdin', 'The Lion King', 'Beauty and the Beast', 'Toy Story 4', 'Frozen 3'