The Live-Action ‘Little Mermaid’ Revealed In First Set Photo
She is almost ready to be part of your world. (Again.)
Shooting has officially wrapped on Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. The film stars Javier Bardem as King Triton, Melissa McCarthy as the sea witch Ursula, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Halle Bailey as Ariel, the Little Mermaid.
To mark the completion of principal photography, Hailey shared a first (if somewhat incomplete) look at her costume in the film. (Does a fish tail count as a costume? In The Little Mermaid, it probably does.) Posting to her Instagram account, she wrote “that’s a wrap after auditioning for this film when i was 18 just about to turn 19 , to now finishing filming through a pandemic when i turned 21 ..we have finally made it...” The start of the film’s production was delayed by months because of Covid. Shooting was also briefly halted last month after several crew members fell ill.
Bailey added “i feel so grateful to have experienced this film in all of its glory..it has been the toughest experience being away from everything and everyone i’ve ever known, to feeling self doubt/ loneliness, but also feeling such freedom and perseverance as i’ve reached the end. this experience has made me so much stronger than i ever thought i could be.”
In addition to the familiar songs, the remake will also feature new tracks by composer Alan Menken, with lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who previously contributed music to Disney’s Moana and also has an animated musical upcoming with the company called Encanto. The Little Mermaid live-action remake does not yet have an official release date. It’s directed by Chicago and Mary Poppins Returns’ Rob Marshall.