'The Little Mermaid' Remake Has Released An Official Trailer

After the live-action remakes of Mulan, Cruella, Cinderella, and The Lion King, the time has come to bring another historic Disney princess back to the big screen: Ariel and the rest of the cast of The Little Mermaid.

The songs that accompanied your childhood are returning to reclaim their place in the Olympus of great cinematic successes. The film was intended to commence in London in the spring of 2020, but due to the coronavirus pandemic production was halted. The project moved locations to Sardinia, Italy, and wrapped up filming in July 2021. The wait for this next live-action Disney princess film is finally coming to an end very soon. The Little Mermaid is set to release on May 26, 2023.

Directed by Rob Marshall, the cast features big names that intrigue fans of the Disney classic: singer Halle Bailey will take on the role of Ariel, accompanied by Jacob Tremblay as her friend Flounder, Awkwafina as Scuttle the know-it-all, but gold-hearted seagull, and Daveed Diggs as the crabby, but kind Sebastian. Ariel's love interest Prince Eric will be played by actor Jonah Hauer-King. Harry Styles had originally been offered the role but turned it down due to scheduling conflicts. The inimitable Melissa McCarthy will play Ursula, while Javier Bardem will step into the character of King Triton, Ariel's father.

Upon Bailey's casting, many were critical of casting a Black actress as Ariel, however, both Disney and actress Jodi Benson, who voiced the aquatic princess in the original animated film, supported the decision. "The most important thing is to tell the story," Benson said while adding, "the spirit of a character is what really matters."

The audience expects a lot from this film, considering that Ariel has always been a fan favorite, but given Marshall's experience will major Disney adaptations (he also spearheaded Mary Poppins Returns and Into the Woods) it seems that there is nothing to fear. Regarding the soundtrack, it will be a mix of new, original songs and old favorites like "Under the Sea" and "Part of Your World." Alan Menken, composer of the original soundtrack, will join forces with Hamilton writer Lin-Manuel Miranda, to write new tunes for the underwater creatures.

Exactly 100 days out from the film's release date, Bailey revealed a second teaser trailer on Instagram. Although quite short, the video was packed with several never-before-seen snippets of Atlantica and its colorful creatures. Most importantly, though, we caught our first glimpse of Hauer-King as Prince Eric and a rather ominous glance at McCarthy's Ursula. At the 2023 Academy Awards, the official trailer was released where we finally got to see a better glimpse of our Prince Eric and Ursula, along with King Triton.

Bailey is most notable for being one half of Chloe x Halle, a musical duo with her older sister. The girls have been successful in their music careers, flourishing under the guidance of their mentor, the one and only Beyoncé. Though born almost two years apart, they also star as twins on the popular show Grown-ish.

After Styles turned down the role, Disney cast Hauer-King to play opposite Bailey. The 27-year-old British actor has held roles in A Dog's Way Home, Ashes in the Snow, and the BBC television series World on Fire. He was also previously in the 2017 BBC adaptation of Little Women, opposite Maya Hawke and Kathryn Newton.

At 15, Tremblay has already captured the hearts of audiences with his stunning performances in Wonder and Room, the latter of which earned him a SAG nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, making him the youngest actor to be nominated in that category and the second-youngest to ever be nominated. Now, he will take on the role of Flounder, Ariel's gentle-minded fish friend.

Her comedic works like Bridesmaids, Identity Thief, and The Heat are legendary, while her recent foray into drama with Can You Ever Forgive Me? earned her an Oscar nomination. As the first person cast in the upcoming film, fans are eager to see McCarthy's take on the villainous Ursula. Reports indicate that Kacey Musgraves was offered the role of Ursula's human form, but she passed on the project. It's unclear who has been cast for the part instead.