As we approach the five-week mark ahead of the release of Disney's much-anticipated live action reboot of The Little Mermaid, we're being treated to more information about the film's release to help audiences prepare themselves for going back under the sea - including its record-breaking runtime.
Disney will be hoping the movie doesn't "Flounder" at the box office, but with a heap of star-power plus nostalgia, it's almost certain to do well with audiences. One of the big names appearing in the Rob Marshall musical is Melissa McCarthy, who has been handed the daunting role of playing the iconic Ursula, the sea witch who steals the voice from the poor, unfortunate Ariel (Halle Bailey).
The importance of correctly casting Ursula was not lost on Marshall, who has been explaining what it was that made McCarthy – best known for her comedic roles in films like Bridesmaids, Spy and of course, the only role that has ever truly mattered in her career, as Sookie St. James in the TV series Gilmore Girls - the ideal candidate to play his villain.
It Was Daunting Casting the Iconic Ursula
"It was really daunting to think about who was going to play this part," Marshall said in an interview with SFX magazine, adding that the original inspiration for the character – the drag queen Divine – played a huge part in the casting of the pivotal role for his film.
I love that she was originally inspired by Divine [Harris Glenn Milstead], the wonderful drag actor, who was so original and so funny. I thought, 'Well, who’s going to be able to bring the humor and the depth?' Because this is now a live-action piece, it can’t just be a funny character, it has to have a great deal of depth. Who can do that and sing – really sing – and bring originality? I wanted a woman of size, too, as I thought that was important.
She’s a wonderful actress, people forget that. They say, 'Oh, she’s funny.' This character is an injured character, and she was able to find all that depth and emotion, in addition to all the other colors. We really used Divine as our inspiration, because that’s where it started. But the thing about Divine is that she's bigger than life, and this character is bigger than life, but at the same time, Melissa was able to bring humanity to it.
Who's Joining Melissa McCarthy Under the Sea?
The film stars Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and will also feature Noma Dumezweni, Art Malik, and Bridgerton's Simone Ashley.
The Little Mermaid hits theaters on May 26. Check out the trailer for the film below: