‘Little Mermaid’ Live Action Movie Update Before ABC Television Musical Airs

“The Little Mermaid” is getting the live television musical treatment Tuesday night on ABC, but it won’t be long before Ariel is on the big screen again. Disney is working on a live action remake of the finned fable, and they’re already in pre-production. Here’s what we know about the live action “Little Mermaid” so far:

Halle Bailey is the only officially announced cast member. The “Grown-ish” star will play Ariel in the live action “Little Mermaid” remake, and she’s already gotten the stamp of approval from Jodi Benson, who voiced the Disney princess in the 1989 movie.

“I think that the spirit of a character is what really matters,” she told fans at at Florida Supercon in July in response to racist backlash. “What you bring to the table in a character as far as their heart and their spirit is what really counts. … So I think the most important thing for a film is to be able to tell a story. We need to be storytellers, no matter what we look like on the outside.”

While Disney has only confirmed Bailey, lots of other big names are rumored to star. Melissa McCarthy was reportedly in talks to play Ursula while Awkwafina and Jacob Tremblay are said to be voicing Scuttle and Flounder, respectively. “Hamilton” star Daveed Diggs is in talks to voice Sebastian, and Javier Bardem is rumored to play King Triton, Ariel’s father, Variety reports.

The only major role that doesn’t have an actor reportedly attached is Prince Eric. Ariel’s love interest was at one point going to be played by Harry Styles, but the “Lights Up” singer passed on the role. Despite a good meeting with director Rob Marshall, he decided it wasn’t for him.

“I think it’s obviously going to be an amazing film,” Styles told Capital FM recently. “Honestly, they shoot for so long and I wanna tour next year and stuff, maybe…I haven’t announced that yet. Yeah, it just didn’t quite line up.”

It isn’t clear who will play the handsome human right now.

Unlike the “Mulan” adaptation, this live action movie will continue to be a musical, incorporating both the classic hits with some new ones. Original composer Alan Menken is teaming up with Lin Manuel-Miranda to add some new “Little Mermaid” tunes.

“The Little Mermaid” will be directed by Rob Marshall and written by David Magee.

Filming is rumored to start in April. While no release date has been announced, a 2021 release is likely.

For now, fans can get excited by watching “The Wonderful World Of Disney Presents The Little Mermaid Live!” Tuesday at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.