Walt Disney Studios has found much success with their live-action adaptations of their classic animated films grossing over $4.5 billion at the worldwide box office. So it should come as no surprise that Disney is hard at work on a live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. As memorable as the characters are from the animated film, Disney maybe going a new route with new film.
Our source close to the production has informed us that Disney is looking at people of color for various roles including Ariel, Eric, and Triton.
A name that Disney at one point had interest in is Keke Palmer, however it is not known if Disney had any form of discussions with Palmer or if it was merely interest. Another name floating around the studio is indeed Zendaya.
We do know that Ariana Grande which is a popular name amongst many fan casts, is not being considered at the moment.
It should be noted that Disney is considering a bunch of actors for various roles, so whether or not they go with POC, one thing is certain, we will start hearing some news very soon!
Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda will team up to compose the music for the film, as well as add new songs to the film.
Mary Poppins Returns director Rob Marshall is set to helm the film, from a script by Jane Goldman (X-Men: Days Of Future Past).
Production on The Little Mermaid is expected to take place in Puerto Rico and Cape Town Africa. As of right now there is no release date for the film.
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Zendaya deserves to play Ariel and Henry Cavill would be a perfect choice play Prince Eric.
OH FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS PURE AND DECENT IN THIS WORLD, NOT ZENDAYA! I don’t mind a color-blind cast for the live-action Little Mermaid, as long as Ariel is still given her iconic red hair. As long as the actors are right for the role. After all, the Cinderella movie with Brandy Norwood and Whitney Houston was one of the best adaptations of Cinderella out there. But again, NOT ZENDAYA! She’s a HORRENDOUS actress, her singing is mediocre (except in The Greatest Showman where it’s good, but noticeably heavily autotuned, but not great and Ariel needs a great voice), and would just KILL the movie for me. I can’t stand Zendaya! I love Keke Palmer, she always nails every role she’s in.