Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina in Talks for Live-Action The Little Mermaid

By Christine Fernando  |  July 1, 2019 | 4:47pm
Photos by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty, Emma McIntyre/Getty
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Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina in Talks for Live-Action The Little Mermaid
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Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina are the latest A-listers to join the cast of Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid—if negotiations pan out, that is.

Tremblay is in talks to play Flounder, Ariel’s chubby-cheeked, adorably guppy sidekick, while Awkwafina is circling the role of Scuttle, a manic, quirky seagull, per THR. Sounds about right.

The duo are expected to join Melissa McCarthy, who is in talks of her own to play the villainous sea queen Ursula. And we can’t wait to see her in full garb, tentacles, purple makeup and all.

Mary Poppins Returns director Rob Marshall will helm The Little Mermaid, which is expected to pull in your old favorites from the 1989 animated classic while spinning in some new tunes from the legendary composer behind the original film’s composition, Alan Menken, and everyone’s favorite Broadway bigwig, Moana and Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda, who’s also set to produce the new movie alongside Marshall, Marc Platt and John DeLuca.

Menken is the man behind The Little Mermaid classics including “Under the Sea,” “Part of Your World” and “Kiss the Girl.”

Oscar nominee David Magee, known for Life of Pi, Finding Neverland and Mary Poppins Returns, penned the film’s script, taking the reins from Jane Goldman, who wrote a previous draft.

You hopefully don’t need any background on the plot of The Little Mermaid, but just in case you’ve been living under a rock, not under the sea, the original animated film follows the plucky and rebellious redheaded mermaid princess Ariel as she journeys to the human world to chase after her love at first sight, Prince Eric. But of course, she has the help of her BFFs, Scuttle and Flounder.

Tremblay is set to appear next in Good Boys, a Seth Rogen- and Evan Goldberg-produced comedy premiering in August, and Doctor Sleep, the forthcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s sequel to his classic The Shining.

Awkwafina has a horde of new projects prepping for release. She’s voicing a character in Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, and can also be seen in Sony’s Jumanji sequel Jumanji: The Next Level, Lulu Wang’s The Farewell and the film adaptation of the hit musical comedy Prom.

No word yet on a release date for the live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid, but with a cast like this, we’re holding our breath.

 
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