Watch the Latest Little Mermaid Trailer, Which Just Premiered at the 2023 Oscars
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You know the story well: A beautiful mermaid with a stunning voice gives away her gift to an evil underwater witch in order to experience what it’s like to be “a part of that world”—and find true love. The classic film The Little Mermaid is now getting a highly anticipated live-action remake—and its May 2023 premiere is almost here.
Halle Bailey (who plays Ariel herself) and Melissa McCarthy (who is tackling the role of Ursula) made an appearance at this year’s Academy Awards to premiere the latest trailer. See it below for yourself!
Bailey previously announced that she now has her very own Little Mermaid doll. “I am literally choking up because this means so much to me, and to have one that looks like me, that’s my favorite Disney character, is very surreal,” Bailey says.
While she was declared the lead in 2019, Disney has also unveiled the rest of the full cast, as well as other changes that are on the way. If you’re ready to go under the sea, here’s a deep dive (pun intended) into everything we know about the The Little Mermaid live-action remake movie so far.
Who’s in the cast of the live-action Little Mermaid?
Bailey made history with her casting announcement as the lead—but despite causing some controversy thanks to fans who took issue with Ariel being played by a Black woman (sigh), this mostly inspired celebration. She’s only the second Black actor to ever be cast as a Disney princess.
After the news broke in 2019, she told Variety at the Power of Young Hollywood gala about the surreal experience—she felt thankful, didn't "pay attention to the negativity,” and explained how she was focusing on the big picture.
And years after it was revealed Bailey got the big part, she finally shared a sneak peek of her as Ariel. In an Instagram caption to go along with the snap, Bailey revealed that she’d just wrapped filming and shared more about the emotional journey she'd been on.
We already know about Bailey's role, but what about the rest of the cast? Jonah Hauer-King will be Prince Eric—and is a dead ringer for the animated character, if we say so ourselves. Previously, the 25-year-old British actor starred as Laurie in a Little Women remake (no, not Greta Gerwig's film) and the period drama World on Fire.
The rest of the cast is equally on-point. Academy Award–winning actor Javier Bardem will be Ariel's stern father, King Triton. And Melissa McCarthy, who is most often giving us side cramps in comedies like Spy, will try out villain mode as Ursula the sea witch. “I have seen The Little Mermaid like nine billion times, strangely, so to get to play Ursula was like a dream come true,” McCarthy told Yahoo. “I've kind of fallen in love with her.”
Then, there are Ariel's sidekicks. Crazy Rich Asians’ Awkwafina will be Scuttle, the seagull expert of the human world. Jacob Tremblay (Wonder) will be perfect as Flounder, Ariel’s fishy bestie. Finally, we can’t wait for Hamilton’s Daveed Diggs’s version of “Kiss the Girl” as Sebastian the crab.
A Disney veteran will be directing The Little Mermaid.
Chicago director Rob Marshall is directing the film, which comes from a script written by Jane Goldman, who previously wrote Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and The Woman in Black. Marshall is no stranger to Disney, having directed Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Into the Woods, and Mary Poppins Returns.
Lin-Manuel Miranda will rework the soundtrack.
Another major name is also attached to the film: The Little Mermaid superfan Lin-Manuel Miranda is set to produce the film alongside Marc Platt. He’s also teaming up with the original 1989 film’s composer, Alan Menken, to rework songs from the animated movie as well as composing new songs for the soundtrack. Menken won two Oscars for his Little Mermaid score, including the Best Original Song for “Under the Sea.”
Miranda even tweeted about his excitement:
🧜🏾♀️... https://t.co/9VPWQFBH9R
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) April 10, 2019
When will The Little Mermaid remake hit theaters?
The film premieres on May 26, 2023! While you wait, you can check the 1989 version of The Little Mermaid on Disney+. Sure, you won’t get to hear “Poor Unfortunate Souls”—and the story is very different. So if that’s not enough to tide you over while you wait, go ahead and give the original a rewatch—or two. Just don’t blame us if “Under the Sea” gets stuck in your head for the rest of the day.
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