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Meryl Streep and Martin Short are continuing to fuel romance rumors, and their latest outing saw them out with another big Hollywood couple!

The 75-year-old Oscar winner and 74-year-old comedian and actor grabbed dinner at Giorgio Baldi on Wednesday (October 16) in Santa Monica, Calif. It looks like they were joined, or at least bumped into, director Rob Marshall and his partner, producer John DeLuca.

Meryl was seen holding John‘s arm as they said goodbye outside the restaurant. Rob directed Meryl in 2018′s Mary Poppins Returns and 2014′s Into the Woods. John produced those 2 movies as well!

At the 2024 Golden Globes back in January, real-life romance rumors began circulating when Meryl and Martin were seated next to one another. At the time, his rep released a statement about the rumors. Over the summer, they held hands at the Only Murders premiere. Their characters on the show are about to get married!

Rob Marshall is in talks to direct a film adaptation of Frank Loesser’s “Guys and Dolls,” the classic Broadway musical and 1955 film of the same name, for TriStar Pictures, according to an insider with knowledge of the project.

John Requa and Glenn Ficarra are in talks to write the screenplay with Marshall and John DeLuca. John Goldwyn, Marc Toberoff and Marc Platt are producing with Marshall and DeLuca.

Previously, the studio purchased the rights to the original short stories written by Damon Runyon that inspired the musical, to the Broadway musical book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows and its music by Loesser, as well as the remake rights to the ’55 film “Guys and Dolls” as released by the Samuel Goldwyn Company.

Runyon originally wrote the short stories “The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown,” “Pick the Winner” and “Blood Pressure” about a gambler and his relationship with a missionary girl.

Rob Marshall is rockin’ the boat!

The “Chicago” director is in talks to helm the remake of “Guys and Dolls” for Sony’s TriStar Pictures. Marshall and John DeLuca will write the script with John Requa & Glenn Ficarra.

John Goldwyn, Marc Toberoff and Marc Platt will produce alongside Marshall and DeLuca, while TriStar president Nicole Brown and Shary Shirazi will oversee the project for the studio.

Bill Condon was previously attached to direct the film back in 2021.

Sony purchased remake rights in 2019 for the original Damon Runyon short stories about gamblers and gangsters, as well as the rights to the Broadway musical The studio also acquired remake rights to the previous 1955 film adaptation from the Samuel Goldwyn company.

That version of “Guys and Dolls” starred Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, and Vivian Blaine, and was directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who also wrote the screenplay.

“Guys and Dolls” opened...

Is the musical… back? Much as Hollywood has tried to hide its affinity for song and dance, musicals have been getting made. Wonka was a holiday hit; The Color Purple got Oscar nominations. This fall the Broadway blockbuster Wicked hits the silver screen, and now it seems the time is...

This one has taken awhile, but maybe Lady Luck finally has turned for an updated movie musical of Guys and Dolls. TriStar Pictures has teamed Chicago helmer Rob Marshall to direct a new film adaptation of Frank Loesser’s box office smash hit musical. Marshall and John DeLuca will team with John Requa & Glenn Ficarra to write the script.

John Goldwyn, Marc Toberoff and Marc Platt are producing with Marshall and DeLuca. Nicole Brown and Shary Shirazi are overseeing for the studio.

Based on stories by Damon Runyon about gamblers and gangsters in the 1920s and ’30s, Guys and Dolls premiered on Broadway in 1950, where it ran for 1,200 performances and won the Tony Award for Best Musical. The show has had several Broadway and London revivals, as well as a 1955 film adaptation starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra and Vivian Blaine. The 1992 revival starring Nathan Lane and Faith Prince...

One word is on the lips of every broker in NYC, and they’ve all got an opinion.

“The elections always bring uncertainty into the equation,” says Douglas Elliman star Fredrik Eklund. Agrees fellow Elliman broker Steven Cohen, “The real estate market is averse to volatility and historically slows down as we approach the elections.

“I think activity will remain low until at least later this year, after the election,” concurs Nobel Black, also of Elliman. But says Compass’ Matt Breitenbach, “The Hamptons real estate market will be fine despite macroeconomic pressure and presidential elections.”

But no matter what’s in the crystal ball for the remainder of 2024, one thing is clear: New York’s power sellers again made their marks over the past year. Despite high interest rates, inflation and competition with South Florida, Manhattan continued to see jaw-dropping sales at buildings the Central Park Tower, where Elliman’s...

The live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” is ready to make a splash on Disney+. The Rob Marshall-directed film starring Halle Bailey, which opened in theaters in late May, will arrive on the company’s direct-to-consumer streaming service Sept. 6.

Ready to go back “Under the Sea?”

As part of the release, Disney+ subscribers will have access to special bonus content, including a King Triton song called “Impossible Child” with music by multiple Academy Award winner Alan Menken and lyrics by three-time Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda; “Passing the Dinglehopper,” and “Under the Sea – Song Breakdown.” You’re about to get a deep dive into the making of the film.

“The Little Mermaid,” starring Bailey, Javier Bardem, Melissa McCarthy, Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Noma Dumezweni and Art Malik, made more than $542 at the global box office since its early-summer release. Marshall directed the film from a script...

Few Disney villains are as delightfully wicked as Ursula, the sea witch in "The Little Mermaid." That goes for the animated version voiced by Pat Carroll in the 1989 film as well as the less impressive live-action version with Melissa McCarthy. She just loves being evil and milks every second of enjoyment out of her dastardly plan to take Ariel's voice (Halle Bailey) to get back at her brother Titan (Javier Bardem). 

McCarthy was born for this role and made it her own, including her big number "Poor Unfortunate Souls," which was a lot to live up to. She did, however, have one issue with a bit of advice she got from director Rob Marshall and producer John DeLuca. So many kids beloved the original film, and this advice/stage direction might have gotten this version of the film pushed out of the PG slot it ended up in, as she recently told Entertainment Weekly.

Disney‘s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid is swimming onto the home market in September with a Digital, 4K Uhd, Blu-ray, and DVD rollout. The Little Mermaid arrives exclusively on Digital retailers on July 25 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 19.

Per Disney’s official press release:

The Little Mermaid is visionary filmmaker Rob Marshall’s live-action reimagining of Disney’s beloved animated musical classic, the story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land...

Here’s the latest episode of the The Filmmakers Podcast, part of the ever-growing podcast roster here on Nerdly. If you haven’t heard the show yet, you can check out previous episodes on the official podcast site, whilst we’ll be featuring each and every new episode as it premieres.

For those unfamiliar with the series, The Filmmakers Podcast is a podcast about how to make films from micro budget indie films to bigger budget studio films and everything in-between. Our hosts Giles Alderson, Dan Richardson, Andrew Rodger and Cristian James talk how to get films made, how to actually make them and how to try not to f… it up in their very humble opinion. Guests will come on and chat about their film making experiences from directors, writers, producers, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers and distributors.

The Filmmaker’s Podcast #341: Rob Marshall & John DeLuca on making The Little Mermaid,...

Spoiler Alert: This interview includes details about Disney’s The Little Mermaid

Good tides and accolades continue to roll in for Disney’s latest live-action remake, The Little Mermaid. Similarly to the 1989 classic, The Little Mermaid follows the story of the titular mermaid, Ariel, a precocious teenager who yearns to walk amongst the sun-soaked earth of the human world. Since the film’s debut over the three-day weekend, it made an impressive box office splash to the tune of $95.5M and is projected to set sail towards $163.8M, factoring in the international markets as it makes its global debut through Sunday. It seems that The Little Mermaid’s continued success is due in no small part to the transformative magic of the film’s onscreen players, whose modernized performances offer more to chew on this time around than its animated predecessor, warranting repeat visits to the movie theater.

Here, Deadline...

This post contains spoilers for "The Little Mermaid."

The live-action version of Disney's "The Little Mermaid" hits theaters tomorrow. In addition to some of the songs we know and love from the 1989 animated version of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale, we're getting some new ones from composers Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) has one now, and Scuttle (voice of Awkwafina) even raps.

I attended the recent press conference for the film, where director/producer Rob Marshall and producer John DeLuca spoke about a song that didn't make the cut. When I got to talk to them one-on-one during the movie's press day, I asked them about it. The song was for Javier Bardem, who plays King Triton — Ariel's (Halle Bailey) Mer-Papa. The two shared their perspectives on Bardem's prowess as a singer and the reason why the song was cut. But fear not, fishy friends...

The following article contains spoilers for "The Little Mermaid."

Back in 1989, Disney animation was having a renaissance. "The Little Mermaid" brought fans back to the theaters to see a brand new Disney princess in Ariel, the teenage mermaid who longs for adventures on land. She falls in love with Prince Eric but cannot speak to him after giving her voice to the sea witch Ursula to get her fins replaced by legs. Ariel and Eric ultimately marry at the end of the film. I'd feel bad for giving you spoilers, but it's been 34 years since it came out. 

There has been some modernization of Ariel's character in the new live-action version of "The Little Mermaid," so I wondered if Ariel (Halle Bailey) and Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) would actually marry this time around. Like many of you, I've read all the memes and lists about the ages of Disney Princesses and...

The following post contains spoilers for "The Little Mermaid." 

Disney's live-action version of "The Little Mermaid" will premiere just in time for Memorial Day weekend. You know the story: Halle Bailey plays Ariel, the young mermaid with a powerful desire for adventure who runs afoul of the sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) and falls in love with Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). Joining her on her adventures on land are her little fish buddy Flounder (voice of Jacob Tremblay) and bird friend Scuttle (voice of Awkwafina). 

I recently spoke to director/producer Rob Marshall and producer John DeLuca about how they filmed the singing sequences, Javier Bardem's song that was cut from the film, whether or not there is a mid- or post-credits scene, and if there was ever a discussion about Ariel not getting married.

Note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

'So It Wasn't...

The Little Mermaid producer John DeLuca breaks down the collaboration process between himself, director Rob Marshall, and composer Alan Menken. Menken was a composer and co-songwriter on the animated Little Mermaid, and he returns to adapt his original score and songs while also working with Lin-Manuel Miranda to write new songs for the new movie. Menken is a Disney music legend who has had a hand in crafting the soundtrack for many people's lives, with The Little Mermaid being a prime example.

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant for The Little Mermaid, DeLuca praised Miranda and Menken as collaborators. While DeLuca and Marshall have worked with Miranda before, Menken was a new collaborator, but DeLuca described him as "the most open soul." He broke down their collaboration process and explained how the lack of ego made things easier. Check out the full quote and interview below:

John DeLuca: You couldn't ask for better collaborators.

In 1989, the 7-year-old Daveed Diggs queued up outside Oakland’s Grand Lake Theatre, his hometown multiplex, to see “The Little Mermaid” with his father, Dountes.

“It must’ve been opening weekend. The line wrapped around the block,” Diggs recalls. “I remember loving Scuttle, thinking he was just the funniest thing I’d seen up to that point, and loving the songs.”

Thirty years later, Diggs is a Tony- and Grammy-winning actor, rapper and filmmaker, best known for “Blindspotting” (both the 2018 film and the Starz series) and “Hamilton,” where he delighted Broadway audiences by putting his unique imprint on Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette. After playing those historical figures night after night, one might imagine he’d have no qualms about taking on another well-known character — the calypso-singing crab Sebastian in Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid,” which opens on May 26.

But Diggs’ insecurities — much like Sebastian’s persistent...

Melissa McCarthy was definitely on edge when she knew she’d be working with the actor behind Anton Chigurh, Bond villain Raoul Silva and many other intimidating characters, but Javier Bardem quickly disarmed her during their one day of shooting together on The Little Mermaid. McCarthy and Bardem play rival siblings Ursula and King Triton in Rob Marshall and John DeLuca’s live-action reimagining of the 1989 animated classic, and once her anxiety quickly dissipated, McCarthy made a point to enjoy every second that she shared with Bardem.

“I was really nervous to meet him, but the nerves went away within two seconds. The second you meet Javier, he’s like a walking warm hug,” McCarthy tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I always find it fascinating how people throw their energy so differently per their characters. When his energy is on, it’s what you would expect from being in a room with Javier [in character]. You feel it.

Disney's live-action version of their 1989 animated classic "The Little Mermaid" is about to hit theaters. If you're familiar with the Disney princess genre and the fairy tales that some of them are based on, you know that the characters can often be very young. Most of the princesses are said to be teenagers. In fact, in the live-action version, Ariel (Halle Bailey) is referred to as a teenager more than once. 

This is fiction, of course, but the idea of a teenager marrying can be upsetting for many people, even if that person is a mermaid and the other is a 21-year-old prince. The main thrust of the story is that Ariel asserts her own wants and needs and breaks away from what she's been told to do for what feels right to her. That's a big part of one's teenage years, making it more difficult to set the story,...

Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel in the original 1989 The Little Mermaid, is praising the 2023 live-action reimagining starring Halle Bailey.

In an interview with People magazine published Wednesday, Benson shared why she supports the adjustments made to give the original a modern twist and reflect current society.

“When you look at our film, we started in the studio in 1986 and we were released in 1989. Times change, people change, cultures change,” Benson told People. “What matters and what is important changes. And, as a studio, we need to make those adjustments, and we need to take into consideration what’s going on around us. We need to be aware.”

Benson credited the live action for going more “in depth” with characters and says that it “expands” the story in ways the original didn’t allow. The film features inclusive casting, a new character look for Flounder, lyric changes and the song “Daughters...

The Little Mermaid’s brain trust of director Rob Marshall and producer John DeLuca decided early on that verisimilitude was the name of the game. They knew that their live-action reimagining of the 1989 animated classic couldn’t have it both ways, so they opted for photorealism at every turn instead of a hybrid of realistic and fantastical elements. That meant Ariel’s (Halle Bailey) beloved sea-creature sidekicks of Flounder (Jacob Tremblay), Sebastian (Daveed Diggs) and Scuttle (Awkwafina) had to be reinvented as well.

“We knew right from the beginning that we were gonna create a photoreal world underwater,” Marshall tells The Hollywood Reporter. “We’ve had an animated film, but … we’re now in a live-action genre. We want to believe we’re in that space, so there was no version of creating a Flounder that didn’t look like a fish. There was no version of creating a crab...

I don't know about you, but I've been calling my fork a dinglehopper since 1989 when Disney's animated film "The Little Mermaid" came out. It was the beginning of a resurgence in Disney animation, and I bet you — like me — know every song. Disney's live-action version of the story about teen mermaid Ariel (Halle Bailey) is about to hit theaters, and while we know most of the story, we also know that there are new songs and that Ariel's relationship with Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) has been updated. Add in the fact that this is being released in an era where mid- and/or post-credit scenes are common, particularly for Disney-owned properties, and it might lead you to wonder if we're getting one or more of those this time around. After all, we did get a direct-to-video sequel, "The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, and the prequel, "The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginnings,...

Disney's original Ariel Jodi Benson was fully supportive of the studio's new live-action update to "The Little Mermaid." In particular, the fact that director Rob Marshall decided to update the lyrics to some of the classic songs such as "Kiss the Girl" to better reflect the times we live in. Benson, for her part, understands the need for change and doesn't feel any negativity about it.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Benson talked a bit about the updated songs, which are well over 30 years old at this point. The actress explained that this version, which sees Halle Bailey taking on the role of Ariel, truly needed to update the songs to reflect the world of 2023 — not 1989. Here's what she had to say about it:

"We're talking about starting our [voiceover] sessions in '86 [for the original film]. It's 2023, so we have to grow, we have to learn, we have to be aware of our surroundings. We've...

In John Musker's and Ron Clements' 1989 feature film "The Little Mermaid," the title character Ariel (Jodi Benson) has fallen in love with a human, a stringently verboten act in the mer-world. She longs to attract her human paramour's attention, much to the chagrin of the crab Sebastian (Samuel E. Wright), a servant to the king, her father. In order to convince Ariel that life under the sea is better than life on dry land, Sebastian launches into a hummable (and Academy Award-winning) song called "Under the Sea." He sings about how all the nearby ocean creatures are musically gifted, can all dance, and can all play instruments. The entire vicinity breaks into music hoping to convince Ariel of her misplaced desires. While the Academy may have been convinced that "Under the Sea" was a great song, Ariel was not. She swam away to pursue the man of her dreams.

This article appears in the new issue of Den Of Geek magazine. Get your copy here.

If you want to see a musical adapted from stage to screen and adapted well, Rob Marshall is your dream director. For Chicago, he went high-concept, recontextualizing the Broadway songs as vaudeville numbers from the imagination of Roxie Hart. With Into the Woods, every prince, witch, and baker’s wife got a show-stopping number that justified why movie audiences should care about them. Marshall is keenly aware that, while theater is a heightened space in which it’s completely natural for characters to belt out their “I want” and torch songs, onscreen, it’s a tougher sell.

“You have to earn a song, especially in a movie,” he tells Den of Geek magazine. “It has to feel seamless coming from story and character.” For his live-action adaptation of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, that...

Halle Bailey in The Little Mermaid Photo: Disney Another day, another Disney remake. The Mouse House’s decade-long trend of realizing their animated canon in live action—or whatever The Lion King was—has been commented upon ad nauseum, criticized for their revisionism of stories that didn’t need revising...

Halle Bailey in The Little MermaidPhoto: Disney

Another day, another Disney remake. The Mouse House’s decade-long trend of realizing their animated canon in live action—or whatever The Lion King was—has been commented upon ad nauseum, criticized for their revisionism of stories that didn’t need revising and...

Exclusive: After a herniated disc during a Cats performance prompted Rob Marshall to switch from dancer to director, his first feature, Chicago, won Best Picture. It has been a charmed run for Marshall since, with hits from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides to Memoirs of a Geisha, Nine, Annie, Into the Woods and Mary Poppins Returns. Rarely has Marshall been as charged up as he is after coming through a four-year ordeal to turn Disney’s 1989 2-D animated classic musical The Little Mermaid into a live action feature. Beyond the logistical complexities of staging a musical set half undersea and the other half on land where the title character sacrifices her voice for a chance at life as a human, the film is the most color blind major studio adaptation of a classic property you’ve ever seen.

Start with the title character, here played by Halle Bailey,...

Director Rob Marshall is no slouch when it comes to working with musicals, going back to his first time working with Walt Disney Studios on the 1999 TV-movie adaptation of “Annie.” But working under the sea with a new, live-action version of the 1989 animated classic “The Little Mermaid” proved a challenge for even this seasoned director.

“It was exciting because it was so complicated, but [it was] definitely the most complicated one I’ve ever done,” Marshall told TheWrap. He cites his work on the 2018 feature, “Mary Poppins Returns,” as a foundation for working on this. “That animation sequence helped me with this because once again, working with nothing,” he said.

Marshall, a fan of complex choreographed numbers, wondered how that same kinetic energy could be brought to an undersea environment, particularly during the high-energy “Under the Sea” musical sequence.

Marshall ended up employing a technique utilized in Disney’s 1940 musical feature, “Fantasia.

Disney continues its streak of adapting hit animated classics into live-action epics with The Little Mermaid. Ariel, the youngest daughter of King Triton, is infatuated with the surface world, but mermaids are forbidden from exploring it due to the dangers of humans. However, Ariel breaks the rules and saves Prince Eric, whom she falls in love with. After a confrontation with her father, Ariel turns to the sea witch Ursula for help. Offered the opportunity to trade her voice for legs and the opportunity to explore the human world with Eric, she strikes a bargain, but this deal could have deadly consequences for both the world of humans and mermaids alike.

The Little Mermaid is directed by Rob Marshall, written by David Magee, and produced by John DeLuca. Legendary Disney composer Alan Menken, who scored and co-wrote the music for the animated Little Mermaid, returns to compose and co-wrote new...

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for The Little Mermaid, Platonic, The Mother and Book Club: The Next Chapter.

The Little Mermaid premiere

Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Javier Bardem, Melissa McCarthy, Noma Dumezweni and Art Malik joined director Rob Marshall at the world premiere of The Little Mermaid in Hollywood on Monday.

Jessica Alexander, Javier Bardem, Sienna King, Daveed Diggs, Marc E. Platt, Jonah Hauer-King, Alan Menken, Halle Bailey, Rob Marshall, Melissa McCarthy, John DeLuca, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Art Malik, Simone Ashley and Lorena Andrea Halle Bailey John DeLuca, Rob Marshall, Bob Iger, Halle Bailey and Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman

Book Club: The Next Chapter premiere

Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen and Don Johnson reunited at the premiere of the Book Club sequel on Monday in NYC.

This piece contains minor plot details for "The Little Mermaid," which will be familiar to anyone who has seen the original movie. But here's a warning about it nonetheless!

1989's "The Little Mermaid" is truly one of the defining animated films in Disney's long, storied history. It's a classic that resonates to this day, which is why it's getting a live-action remake from director Rob Marshall later this month. A big part of what helps make the original such an enduring classic is the music. The remake does have some new songs in it, and our new, modern Prince Eric even gets to sing one. As for how the filmmakers chose where and when to add those new songs? It all came down to character.

/Film's own Jenna Busch recently attended a press conference with the filmmakers behind the live-action "The Little Mermaid." In discussing the new songs, returning composer...

Audiences have made their first trip under the sea for Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” starring Halle Bailey. With the film’s Los Angeles premiere now concluding, first reactions to the musical have begun to hit social media.

Ahead of its May 26 debut in theaters, Disney unveiled footage of “The Little Mermaid” at last month’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas, showing an early glimpse at Melissa McCarthy singing “Poor Unfortunate Souls” as Ursula.

Variety also reported that director Rob Marshall and his husband, producer John DeLuca, held a private screening of the film, with a guest list including Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Matt Damon and Ben Platt. The star-studded audience apparently applauded after each musical number and continued to rave during a post-screening reception.

The musical features a soundtrack by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken (who wrote the score for the 1989 original), with four new original songs.

The Little Mermaid director Rob Marshall relives Halle Bailey's breathtaking audition for Ariel, revealing that she was the very first actor they saw for the part. Serving as a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1989 animated movie (itself an adaptation of an 1837 fairy tale), The Little Mermaid follows Ariel as she trades her beautiful voice for human legs so that she can discover life on land. The film is the latest in a long line of Disney live-action remakes of their animated classics.

Ahead of The Little Mermaid's release date later this month, Marshall reveals in a new interview with British Vogue what it was like casting Bailey as the live-action Ariel. The director recalls the actor's audition process, revealing just how much Bailey blew everyone away. Check out Marshall's full recollection of events below:

“[Producer] John DeLuca and I were watching [Bailey’s performance at the 2019 Grammys] , and I said, ‘John, who is that? She looks like an angel.

Disney‘s live-action The Little Mermaid is swimming toward Memorial Day Weekend with a song in its heart and dollar signs in its eyes. The latest version of the Disney animated classic is tracking toward a $110M 4-day opening. That number puts The Little Mermaid in the top eight spots for a Memorial Day Weekend release. The upcoming musical won’t touch Top Gun: Maverick’s $160.5M Memorial Day start, but $110M is an outstanding total nonetheless.

Disney has a history of releasing films on Memorial Day Weekend, including Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, which earned $153M, the studio’s highest total for the 4-day holiday debut. Disney’s live-action adaptation of Aladdin earned $116.8M in 2019, placing the Guy Ritchie-directed fantasy film slightly above The Little Mermaid’s expected launch.

Rob Marshall directs this bold vision for the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited...

The excitement and buzz continues to build for “The Little Mermaid.”

A source tells me that director Rob Marshall and husband, producer John DeLuca, hosted a private screening of Disney’s live adaptation of the 1989 animated classic on Sunday night at New York’s Whitby Hotel.

The guest list of about 80 people included Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, Matt Damon and his family, Emily Mortimer, Ben Platt and his “Parade” co-star Micaela Diamond, Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Bob Balaban and Lynn Grossman, Diane and Brian Sutherland, and Scott Ellis. The film’s composer Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who co-wrote three new songs for the movie, were also there.

I’m told the star-studded audience applauded after each musical number and continued to rave during a post-screening reception. Marshall joked that the evening’s torrential downpour was fitting because it felt like they were truly “under the sea.”

I caught...

Disney‘s CinemaCon panel is underway, with new footage from The Little Mermaid dazzling event guests. During The Little Mermaid presentation, Melissa McCarthy, who plays the villain, Ursula, took the stage. She introduced her iconic musical number, “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” from the upcoming film. JoBlo’s Chris Bumbray is our boots on the ground at CinemaCon this week. He says the song gives off a burlesque vibe, with McCarthy having a great time strutting her stuff.

Unfortunately, Chris also says the lighting of the film is poor. It’s worth noting the preview is screening in Dolby Vision, so there’s little excuse for the clip to look as dark as it does. Still, Chris says the cast looks good, and Halle Bailey could win audiences over with her outstanding performance. Overall, the film seems faithful to the animated original, even if aspects of the plot and music will change for the new version.

The new featurette, “A World Reimagined,” from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, which provides an exclusive look at the live-action reimagining of the studio’s animated musical classic, has just been released.

The Little Mermaid is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy. The film stars singer and actress Halle Bailey as Ariel; Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric; Tony Award® winner Daveed Diggs...

Disney‘s The Little Mermaid swims into theaters on May 26, and today, the studio is proud to present a behind-the-scenes look at the live-action magic that will soon bubble to the surface in cinemas. The Little Mermaid featurette takes audiences into the studio to witness Halle Bailey’s transformation into Ariel, a mermaid with big dreams of living above ocean depths. In the video, Bailey talks about growing up with Ariel and how her story inspired her and millions of other children worldwide. Bailey says Ariel’s journey is deeply personal, and she’s looking forward to putting a new spin on the classic fairy tale.

The Little Mermaid featurette also includes commentary from the film’s director, Rob Marshall, who says he wants fans to have a good experience with the new version. “I think The Little Mermaid is an iconic and powerful story,” Marshall says in the footage.

Disney’s two-minute The Little Mermaid featurette kicks off with the new Ariel, Halle Bailey, describing the original Little Mermaid as changing her world. “Like so many of us little girls, we all just wanted to be mermaids,” says Bailey, adding, “This Little Mermaid reflects what it means to want something greater for yourself.”

The video features new clips from the live-action adaptation along with interviews with director Rob Marshall, Melissa McCarthy (“Ursula”), Awkwafina (the voice of “Scuttle”), Alan Menken, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The film also features Jonah Hauer-King (A Dog’s Way Home) as Prince Eric, Tony Award winner Daveed Diggs (Hamilton) as the voice of Sebastian, and Jacob Tremblay (Luca) voices Flounder. Noma Dumezweni (Mary Poppins Returns) is Queen Selina, Art Malik (Homeland) is Sir Grimsby, and Oscar winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) plays King Triton.

Oscar nominee Rob Marshall (Chicago) directed from a screenplay by two-time Oscar nominee David Magee.

Harry Styles wanted to make "darker" movies than 'The Little Mermaid'.The 'Don't Worry Darling' actor was tipped to play Prince Eric in the live-action remake of the classic fairytale and while director Rob Marshall confirmed he did discuss the part with the 'As It Was' singer, the former One Direction star ultimately decided it wasn't for him.Rob told Entertainment Weekly: "[Harry] really felt like he wanted to go off and do the movies that he ended up doing, which were sort of darker."Instead, Jonah Hauer-King was chosen for the role because of the "sweetness" and "deep passion" the director was looking for, though there were three other people up for the part.The 'Little Women' actor recalled his final audition with Halle Bailey, who plays the lead role of Ariel, and their easy bond.He said: "I didn't take her being kind to me as any indication.

The trailer and poster for Disney’s The Little Mermaid, the live-action reimagining of the studio’s animated musical classic, are here! Two of the film’s stars, Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, debuted the trailer during ABC’s live broadcast of the 95th Annual Academy Awards®. The Little Mermaid, helmed by visionary filmmaker Rob Marshall, opens exclusively in theaters nationwide May 26, 2023.

The Little Mermaid is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land but...

Los Angeles, March 13 (Ians) In the new ‘The Little Mermaid’ trailer, the viewers go “under the sea” to see the beloved characters’ world in all its stunning live-action and VFX glory.

Directed by Rob Marshall, the live-action musical brings to life the 1989 animated film with Halle Bailey starring as Ariel, reports Variety.

The soundtrack is created by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken (who wrote the score for the 1989 ‘Little Mermaid’ film) and will feature classics from the original movie in addition to four original songs.

‘The Little Mermaid’ features Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, Jacob Tremblay voicing Flounder, Daveed Diggs voicing Sebastian and Awkwafina voicing Scuttle.

Bailey makes up half of the Grammy-nominated R&b duo Chloe x Halle. Her acting credits include ‘A Wrinkle in Time,’ ‘Grown-ish’ and ‘Last Holiday.’

When it was announced that...

Disney’s two-minute trailer for the live-action The Little Mermaid debuted during the 2023 Oscars. The new Ariel and Ursula – Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy – took the stage and introduced the trailer, which was sort of bizarre given that it felt like part of the show rather than a commercial. Weird introduction aside, the trailer’s packed with clips reminiscent of the classic animated film and features Bailey singing “Part of Your World.”

The trailer arrived online following its Oscar debut, along with a new poster and photos.

Joining Bailey and McCarthy in the live-action reimagining are Jonah Hauer-King (A Dog’s Way Home) as Prince Eric, Tony Award winner Daveed Diggs (Hamilton) as the voice of Sebastian, Awkwafina (Raya and the Last Dragon) as the voice of Scuttle, and Jacob Tremblay (Luca) voices Flounder. Noma Dumezweni (Mary Poppins Returns) is Queen Selina, Art Malik (Homeland) is Sir Grimsby, and Oscar winner...

Halle Bailey is becoming part of the A-list world.

The singer-actress leads the live-action remake of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” with the first full-length trailer debuting during the 2023 Oscars. Bailey and co-star Melissa McCarthy introduced the film onstage.

Rob Marshall directs “The Little Mermaid,” with the official synopsis reading: “The Little Mermaid” is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.

Javier Bardem,...

The trailer for Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” the live-action reimagining of the studio’s animated musical classic, debuted on Sunday night during the Oscars.

Two of the film’s stars, Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, introduced the trailer on ABC’s live broadcast of the 95th Annual Academy Awards. “The Little Mermaid,” helmed by visionary filmmaker Rob Marshall, opens exclusively in theaters nationwide May 26, 2023.

“The Little Mermaid” is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life...

"The Little Mermaid" is largely credited as one of the movies that launched Disney into its infamous Renaissance Era, so it's probably no surprise that the studio has decided to revisit it in a big way. Its live-action remake, starring Grammy-nominated singer Halle Bailey, is on its way, and we've got the first true look at the Rob Marshall-helmed film.

Much of what we see in this trailer looks familiar if you've watched the original 1989 film, only adapted to a live-action medium. However, we did get plenty of new footage in this new trailer that is sure to entice fans. We got to see Ariel (Bailey) explore the film's version of Atlantica, see other characters such as the charming Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King), and, unfortunately for her, see her get brought into the clutches of the conniving Ursula (Melissa McCarthy). Speaking of which, Ursula in live-action looks and sounds great so far,...

In the new “The Little Mermaid” trailer, Disney brings viewers “under the sea” to see the beloved characters’ world in all its stunning live-action and VFX glory.

Directed by Rob Marshall, the live-action musical brings to life the 1989 animated film with Halle Bailey starring as Ariel. The soundtrack is created by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken (who wrote the score for the 1989 “Little Mermaid” film) and will feature classics from the original movie in addition to four original songs.

“The Little Mermaid” features Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, Jacob Tremblay voicing Flounder, Daveed Diggs voicing Sebastian and Awkwafina voicing Scuttle.

Bailey makes up half of the Grammy-nominated R&b duo Chloe x Halle. Her acting credits include “A Wrinkle in Time,” “Grown-ish” and “Last Holiday.”

When it was announced that a Black woman would play Ariel,...

Disney’s streak of live-action remakes of animated classics continues with “The Little Mermaid,” and fans are eager to see how this iconic 1989 movie comes to life in this new feature. The animated original is largely responsible for jump-starting a creative resurgence for Disney after a fallow period in the 1980s, as the film’s Broadway-level original songs and emotional story struck a chord with kids and adults alike. The resurgence continued and solidified with “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King,” and while those three films have already gotten live-action remakes from Disney over the past decade (to whopping box office success), it’s finally “The Little Mermaid”’s turn.

Below we’ve rounded up a guide to everything we know about the “Little Mermaid” live-action remake so far.

Also Read:

‘The Little Mermaid’ Director Rob Marshall Says Disney Remake Is ‘The Most Challenging Film I’ve...

Disney is excited to make a new poster for The Little Mermaid part of your world ahead of a full trailer drop during the Oscars this Sunday, March 12, 2023. The Little Mermaid poster depicts Halle Bailey’s Ariel perched on a rock in the middle of the ocean, dreaming of life above sea level. With her eyes closed, Ariel imagines a world where people dance on two feet, breathe the open air, and settle down in villages after falling in love. A sun burns brightly behind a clouded sky, foreshadowing Ursula’s arrival and dishonest dealings. The Little Mermaid poster is beautiful, though it would have been nice for Disney to let some of the light in.

You can check out Disney’s The Little Mermaid poster below:

Rob Marshall directs this bold vision for the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure.

Los Angeles, Feb 16 (Ians) 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, reports ‘Variety’.

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 September 2022, spurring much love for Bailey’s singing – even...