The latest news from under the sea: Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid finally has a release date. The movie will premiere in theatres on May 26, 2023, on Memorial Day Weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Directed by Rob Marshall, The Little Mermaid will star Halle Bailey as Ariel. The movie also stars Melissa McCarthy as the evil sea witch, Ursula; Jacob Tremblay as Flounder and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric.
Filming wrapped up this past July in Italy. Bailey shared a sunset, beach snapshot to commemorate the end of filming on her Instagram.
“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,” the 21-year-old wrote.
She went to recognize her fellow cast members and encourage fans to watch the reboot. “I cannot wait for time to speed up so you all can watch this film because it was made with so much love (plus blood sweat and tears)…”
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Bailey is one half of the R&B duo, Chloe x Hailey, with her sister, Chloe. The two are signed to their mentor, Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment.
Bailey’s casting as Ariel will be the first time the Disney princess will be portrayed as an African-American. When the news was first announced in 2019, it caused some racial backlash with some using hashtags such as #MakeArielWhiteAgain. But the support overwhelms the hate, such as kudos from Halle Berry.
“In case you needed a reminder… Halles get it DONE,” the actress tweeted in 2019. “Congratulations @chloexhalle on this amazing opportunity, we can’t wait to see what you do! #TheLittleMermaid#HalleBailey”
During that time, Bailey responded to the criticism and said she chooses to focus on the positives.
“I don’t pay attention to the negativity,” she told Variety in 2019. “I just feel like this role is something bigger than me and greater and it’s going to be beautiful.”
While we wait for these two years to swim by, watch the original Little Mermaid on Disney+.
