Disney has unveiled a new teaser for its live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid,” beckoning viewers to become part of Ariel’s world.
The upcoming musical, directed by Rob Marshall, reimagines the original 1989 animated film with live actors. The new adaptation will once again see the mermaid Ariel fall for a human prince who lives above the water, spurring a devilish plot from the nefarious Ursula.
Halle Bailey stars as Ariel, alongside Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jacob Tremblay as the voice of Flounder and Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian. The trailer gives a first look at Ursula and Prince Eric.
Disney first announced Bailey would be taking on the role of Ariel in July 2019. A first teaser for the new film dropped in Sept. 2022, spurring much love for Bailey’s singing — even if she only appeared on-screen for 15 seconds.
“It was an inspiring and beautiful thing to hear their words of encouragement, telling me, ‘You don’t understand what this is doing for us, for our community, for all the little Black and brown girls who are going to see themselves in you,’” Bailey told Variety in an interview, recounting her grandparents’ reaction to the trailer.
The soundtrack is a collaborative effort from Broadway legend Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken, who scored the original animated “The Little Mermaid.” Miranda teamed up with Menken for four original songs, though he assured listeners on Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast these new compositions won’t take the place of beloved classics like “Kiss the Girl” and “Under the Sea.”
The film is being produced by Miranda, Marshall, Russell Allen, John DeLuca, Marc Platt and Michael Zimmer, with Allison Erlikhman working as an executive producer. Jane Goldman and David Magee penned the script.
“The Little Mermaid” is scheduled to hit theaters May 26.
Watch the trailer below.
From Variety US