The Little Mermaid: Release Date, Trailer, Cast, and Everything We Know So Far
Ariel’s overprotective father, King Triton, will be portrayed by Dune‘s Javier Bardem, and the iconic role of Ursula will be played by Melissa McCarthy. (In 2020, Kacey Musgraves turned down the role of Vanessa, Ursula’s human form.) Homeland‘s Art Malik has also been cast as Prince Eric’s loyal butler Grimsby.
Ariel’s sea life squad has also officially been cast! Hamilton and Blindspotting star Daveed Diggs will voice Sebastian the crab, Jacob Tremblay will voice Flounder the fish, and Awkwafina will voice a gender-swapped version of Scuttle. In the original animated film, Scuttle was depicted as a male seagull. In the new adaptation, Scuttle will be a female diving bird, a change that reportedly allows the character to be featured in more underwater scenes.
New characters for the live-action film include Queen Selina (played by Noma Dumezweni), Perla (Lorena Andrea), and Karina (Kajsa Mohammar). Actors Jessica Alexander, Emily Coates, Russell Balogh, Adrian Christopher, and Bridgerton star Simone Ashley were also cast in the film, but in undisclosed roles. (Many fans speculate that Simone Ashley will play one of Ariel’s sisters. Fingers crossed!)
When will The Little Mermaid be released?
The Little Mermaid is currently expected to release in theaters across the United States on May 26, 2023. Mark your calendars now!
Are there any first-look photos or a poster for The Little Mermaid**?**
While first-look photos have yet to be released by Disney, in mid-October 2022, the studio shared the official poster for The Little Mermaid, writing on social media: “Halle Bailey is Ariel.” Halle shared the poster to her own social pages soon after, with a message of gratitude: “Words can’t describe how immensely honored I feel to play the mermaid of my dreams.”
Halle’s red hair majestically floats behind her in the magical poster. The star opened up to Entertainment Weekly about the personal significance of including her own natural hair, which is styled in locs, in Ariel’s look.
“With Rob [Marshall, the film’s director], he’s so amazing and just saying, ‘I see you and I want to bring you into the character,'” Halle said to EW. “So it was a beautiful thing. My hair, for example — incorporating my locs into the red hair was something that was really special to me. The outfit, the fins, everything. It’s just amazing. I’m just grateful that I’ve been able to take the essence of me and mix the two.”
What kind of new music will be in The Little Mermaid**?**
In 2021, composer Alan Menken confirmed to Disney’s For Scores podcast that the live-action version of The Little Mermaid will feature four brand-new, original songs. Menken had previously shared with other outlets that there would be a new song for Eric and Ariel, King Triton, and Scuttle, and that they would be a “blend” of his and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical styles. While speaking to Collider in 2021, Lin-Manuel shared the challenges of writing new music for such a Disney classic, one he loved as a child himself.
