Awkafina and Jacob Tremblay Rumored For Roles In Disney’s Live-Action ‘The Little Mermaid’

On Friday, the internet went buzzing over the report that Melissa McCarthy is being looked at play Ursula in Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid directed by Rob Marshall.

Now, thanks to longtime entertainment journalist Kris Tapley, he has heard that Disney is looking at Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) and Jacob Tremblay (Room) for key roles in the film. Awkwafina is being looked at for the role of Scuttle, who will be a diving bird so he/she can be in the underwater scenes. Tremblay would voice Ariel’s best friend Flounder. Tapley shared the news on Twitter.

With the McCarthy news in, I’ve also heard Jacob Tremblay for Flounder and Awkwafina for Scuttle. #TheLittleMermaid

— Kris Tapley (@kristapley) June 29, 2019

*Update*

The Hollywood Reporter has now confirmed that Awkwafina and Tremblay are officially in talks to star.

The film is slated to begin next April, with the studio looking to wrap sometime in August. However, voice work on the film could start as early as January 2020. As of now, the studio is currently looking at locations to film the project including the Cayman Islands, South Africa, as well as Maro, La Cala, Torre del Mar, Almayate, Chilches, Benajarafe, and Torrox.

There has been speculation that the role of Ariel in the remake was offered to Zendaya. We here at The DisInsider attempted reaching out to her reps but, unfortunately, heard nothing back. When asked about the rumor during the Smallfoot press tour, the actress simply stated: “we will see.” Lin-Manuel Mirada, who is set to team up with Alan Menken on the music for the film took to social media tease the project by merely putting a mermaid emoji, coincidently the mermaids’ skin color used was of color.

🧜🏾‍♀️… https://t.co/9VPWQFBH9R

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) April 10, 2019

As of right now, there is no release date for the film. We expect to hear more news on this project at Disney’s bi-annual D23 Expo this August.

Released in 1989, Disney’s animated classic centered on a young mermaid named Ariel, who is captivated by the world upon the surface. When she falls in love with a human prince, she makes a deal with a villainous sea witch to become human, herself, and earn his love before the agreed time runs out. The movie grossed over $100 million at the US box office upon its initial release and won two Academy Awards for Best Song (“Under the Sea”) and Best Original Music Score for Alan Menken. It is credited as the film to have started the historic Disney Renaissance.

Source: Kris Tapley

 

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