Halle Bailey's 'Little Mermaid' Finally Has a Release Date

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It's been two long years since we first learned Halle Bailey would be portraying the role of Ariel in Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, and we finally have a release date. However, there's a big but. The good news is, we're heading back to Ariel's underwater hometown of Atlantica relatively soon. The bad news, on the other hand, is that you don't need to polish off your mermaid tails just yet because we won't be swimming under the sea until Memorial Day 2023.

On September 10th, The Hollywood Reporter announced that the highly anticipated live-action film has been given a May 26, 2023, release date. Back in July, Bailey let fans know on Instagram that filming had wrapped, leading us to believe the movie is now in post-production. Since then, more information has surfaced including who we can expect to see star alongside Bailey. Spoiler alert: they cast Melissa McCarthy to play Ursula!

Keep reading to see everything we know about Disney's Little Mermaid live-action remake.

Meet the cast.

Directed by Rob Marshall, Disney's live-action Little Mermaid cast is star-studded. As we already know, Bailey will be leading the film as the fairy tale's protagonist, a mermaid named Ariel. Playing opposite of her is British actor Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric. Awkwafina will take on the voice of Scuttle while Jacob Tremblay and Daveed Diggs will voice Flounder and Sebastian. McCarthy will be putting her villain acting skills to the test as she takes on the role of Ariel's nemesis, Ursula. And finally, Javier Bardem is set to play King Triton.

Our first look at Bailey as Ariel.

In July, Bailey took to Instagram to reflect on her Little Mermaid journey, a process she said took almost three years from her first audition to her final day on set. The singer-actress shared a photo of her sitting on a rock in the ocean, the same pose her character is iconically known for.

She wrote, "i feel so grateful to have experienced this film in all of its glory..it has been the toughest experience being away from everything and everyone i've ever known, to feeling self doubt/ loneliness, but also feeling such freedom and perseverance as i've reached the end. this experience has made me so much stronger than i ever thought i could be."

The 21-year-old went on to personally thank each one of her castmates, the crew, and Sardinia, Italy, for being the most beautiful backdrop for the retelling Ariel's story.

The live-action remake will feature old and new musician numbers.

Speaking with POPSUGAR, Bailey confirmed that classics from the original film like "Part of Your World" will be performed in the live-action remake; however, fans will also be treated to a few new songs as well. "I've been a fan of The Little Mermaid since I was 5, so those new songs are very exciting to me, as well as the old," Bailey beamed. "That's probably like, ding, ding, ding! My number one."

We're a little less than two years away from the premiere date of Bailey's Little Mermaid, so we have plenty of time to brush up on all the songs and watch the animated movie a few more times before the live-action remake hits the big screen Memorial Day 2023.