The Little Mermaid Live-Action Remake: Release Date, Cast, Trailer and More

The Little Mermaid is probably the most hotly-anticipated Disney live-action remake we've seen in a while, and we're getting closer and closer to the film's release. Exciting!

Singer and actress Halle Bailey takes on the titular role of Ariel, alongside Awkwafina as seagull Scuttle and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric. Here's everything we know about live-action Little Mermaid so far...

Is there a The Little Mermaid trailer?

Following so much excitement, Disney finally dropped the first teaser trailer for The Little Mermaid on September 10. The clip has sparked a wave of heartwarming responses online, including videos showing young Black children reacting to Halle in costume as Ariel.

Now, original Ariel actress Jodi Benson, who played the mermaid in the 1989 Disney animation, has responded to our first look at Halle in the live-action adaptation. Taking to her Instagram Stories, Jodi wrote, "So thrilled! So excited! Halle, you were absolutely amazing!" adding, "I'm SO proud of you and your beautiful performance as Ariel!"

The teaser trailer takes us, err, under the sea, where we get our first glimpse at Halle as Ariel, singing iconic song 'Part of Your World', no less. Also: the tail! It's all very magical. Have a watch here:

Does The Little Mermaid have a release date?

Alongside the teaser trailer, Disney confirmed that The Little Mermaid is coming to US cinemas on 26 May 2023. We'd expect the film to be released in the UK around the same date or soon after, and it's also likely to stream on Disney+ shortly after cinema release. So there's not too long to wait, then!

Who will star in The Little Mermaid?

British actor Jonah Hauer-King will play Eric after going head to head with Krypton actor Cameron Cuffe. According to Deadline, Jonah's second screen test sealed the deal with Mary Poppins Returns’ director Rob Marshall.

It was previously thought the part might go to 13 Reasons Why star Christian Navarro - who plays Tony Padilla in the Netflix series - or Harry Styles, but he of course turned it down. Explaining his decision, the former 1D star said it was "a few things" and that he also wanted to focus on his solo career before taking another acting gig.

You might also recognise London-born Jonah from his role as Laurie on BBC’s Little Women mini-series which aired in 2017. He also played Harry in recent BBC drama World On Fire. 

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Meanwhile, Melissa McCarthy has been cast Ursula, The Room’s Jacob Tremblay will be voicing Ariel’s sidekick Flounder and Awkwafina will be Scuttle. Javier Bardem will be playing King Triton, while Hamilton's Daveed Diggs voices Sebastian.

What has the cast said about The Little Mermaid?

In celebration of finishing filming for The Little Mermaid back in July 2021, Halle Bailey shared a beautiful photo of her in the ocean in Sardinia, looking every inch the Ariel of our dreams (minus the tail).

She posted the snap on Instagram, with an emotional caption, saying, "After auditioning for this film when I was 18 just about to turn 19, to now finishing filming through a pandemic when I turned 21 ..we have finally made it...?"

Halle continued, "[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. This experience has made me so much stronger than i ever thought i could be."

She also gave a shout-out to her fellow cast-mates, including Jonah Hauer-King (who plays Eric), Jacob Tremblay (Flounder) and Melissa McCarthy (Ursula), praising them for being, "masters of their craft but [still] so welcoming and open to little old me."

What will The Little Mermaid be about?

The remake of the 1989 cartoon will see Halle Bailey in her first film role as an adult. Halle is best known for being one half of the musical duo Chloe x Halle with her sister. She also plays Sky Forster in Grown-ish, which incidentally, her sister Chloe is in too.

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She also retweeted a post made by fellow Halle, Halle Berry, who said: “In case you needed a reminder... Halles get it DONE. Congratulations @chloexhalle on this amazing opportunity, we can’t wait to see what you do! #TheLittleMermaid #HalleBailey.”

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Euphoria star Zendaya tweeted her excitement too, saying: “Yeeeeessss!! Here for thiiiissss!! @chloexhalle.”

The film is also set to see the original composer, Alan Menken, return with Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda bringing new music to the film. These new tracks will sit alongside classics like ‘Under The Sea’ and ‘Parts Of Your World.’