Everything to Know About ‘The Little Mermaid’ Live-Action Remake

It’s no secret that there are a lot of live-action Disney remakes in the works, and with the release of The Lion King and Dumbo this year, fans have been wondering what the next live-action remake has in store—and if it will include one very famous red-headed mermaid. Since it was announced in 2016 that a The Little Mermaid live-action remake was in the works, fans have been ravenous for information on the cast, the crew and the changes from the beloved 1989 animated film. As a refresher, the film follows a mermaid named Ariel who sacrifices her voice for legs to woo over a prince she saw on land. Some magic and plot twists happen, and in the end, yes, they fall in love.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of The Little Mermaid (feel old yet?), which includes a special collector’s edition available on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD, so a new generation of fans can watch it without the grainy, VHS-tape-quality that us ’90s kids have come to know and love. (Fans can live out their Little Mermaid dreams via classes from Sheroes Entertainment, a professional mermaid school.) And so, with three decades of The Little Mermaid behind us, we thought it was a better time than ever to look back on all the information (rumored and confirmed) about the live-action remake. It has to be coming out soon right? Well, we’ll get to that.

When Does It Come Out?

In May 2016, Deadline Hollywood was the first to report that a live-action remake of The Little Mermaid was in the works. The site reported that Disney executives heard a revitalized take on the 1989 film and considering it for a live-action remake. The news came a week after the release of the live-action Beauty and the Beast trailer, which was viewed almost 100 million times in 24 hours. The news also came after the success of Disney’s live-action remake of The Jungle Book, which is considered to the studio’s first live-action success. Changes to The Little Mermaid, as Deadline Hollywood reports, are understandable though, given that the film has received criticism in recent years for its “sexist” storyline. Many have criticized the song “Kiss the Girl” as nonconsensual, as well as the plot-line where Ariel sacrifices her voice for a man.

Walt Disney Pictures.

Who’s in the Cast?

The most talked-about name rumored to be attached to the remake is Zendaya. In August 2018, ComicBook.com reported that the former Disney Channel actress, who starred on the network from 2010 to 2018, was in talks to play the lead of Ariel. When asked about the rumors by Variety a month later, Zendaya responded that she would love to do the film, though nothing is confirmed. “I mean, yeah, why wouldn’t I?” she said. She echoed the same sentiment to People. “I loved The Little Mermaid,” she said. “It is honestly one of my favorite movies of all time. I was obsessed with it when I was a little kid. It’s just a rumor so we will see.”

Another name thrown about for the film is Lady Gaga, who was rumored in October 2018 to be playing Ursula, a seawitch and the film’s villain. The news, first reported by Disinsider, came a few days after Gaga starred in her first film role in A Star Is Born, for which she earned an Oscar nomination. However, the rumor was met with criticism from many fans because of Gaga’s size, with many believing that the role should be played by a curvy woman, like Lizzo (who actually tweeted an audition tape), and not someone as thin as Gaga. “By having an actual fat actress in the role of Ursula, chubby girls won’t just get to see a classic movie for the first time—they might actually get to see themselves,” InStyle wrote.

As for who is rumored to play Prince Eric, Ariel’s love interest, Marie Claire UK reported in May 2017 that the studio was eyeing Henry Cavil, whose black hair and thick brows look very similar to the Disney prince. Lindsay Lohan has also expressed interest in playing Ariel, with Meryl Streep as Ursula.

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Walt Disney Pictures.

Who’s Directing It?

As for the director, Variety reported in December 2017 that Disney had offered the role to Rob Marshall, who has had a long history with the studio. Marshall has four Disney films, including Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Into the Woods and last year’s Mary Poppins sequel, Mary Poppins Returns, starring Emily Blunt. In August 2016, Variety reported that the film will be produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Marc Platt. Miranda will also work with Alan Menken—the 1989 film’s original songwriter who wrote tunes like “Under the Sea” and “Part of Your World”—on several new songs for the remake.

“I literally don’t have a title for what my job on The Little Mermaid is yet. Right now, it’s the guy who wears the ‘don’t mess it up’ hat. If I could sign a contract with that job title on it, that would be great!” Miranda told Vulture in 2016.

What Are the Changes?

Aside from new songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (the mind behind musicals like Hamilton and In the Heights), not much has been reported about Disney’s plans to revitalize the film. In Deadline Hollywood’s 2016 article, breaking the news of the reboot, the site did report that the “take” would be different, which many assume to be changes to parts of the story that have been criticized for being sexist. Still, with Zendaya, a half-Black actress, as the rumored Ariel, the remake is already on its way to being a major milestone for racial representation. “Rumor has it that Zendaya was offered the role of Ariel—an excellent choice that will certainly resonate with young, black girls who’ve historically been overlooked in Disney’s leading roles,” InStyle wrote.