Get ready to go under the sea with the live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. Based on the 1989 animated film of the same name, Disney is remaking the beloved tale with an all-star cast and team. The film was first announced in 2016 with Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda attached to write additional music. In 2019, Disney found its Ariel in Halle Bailey, who is best known as part of the R&B duo Chloe x Halle, and has also starred on Freeform’s Grown-ish. Since then, the studio has released a few glimpses of the set as well as the official trailer released during the Oscars, which showcases Bailey’s stunning rendition of “Part of Your World”. From the cast to the release date, here’s everything to know about Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. Alongside Bailey as Ariel, British actor Jonah Hauer-King will star as Prince Eric. The cast also includes Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Noma Dumezweni in a brand-new role.
The film will be directed by Rob Marshall, who previously worked with Disney on the film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods as well as the sequel to the 1964 film Mary Poppins, titled Mary Poppins Returns. In addition to reimagining the original songs from the movie, Menken and Miranda are penning a handful of new songs for the film. “We wrote three or four original tunes, replacing none of the ones you like. All of those are in,” Miranda told Variety of the classic songs, including “Under the Sea” and “Part of Your World”. “There’s no bigger Little Mermaid fan than me,” he added. “… But we found a couple of opportunities for some other music that I can’t wait to see”. Check out the new Little Mermaid at a theater near you!
