Disney's The Little Mermaid LIVE ACTION

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From Cinema Blend:

New Little Mermaid Actress Marks The First Anniversary Of Her Casting With Sweet Post

Sarah El-Mahmoud


Jul. 8. 2020 6:31 PM

After a prominent year for live-action Disney remakes last summer, audiences have had a bit of breathing room from the House of Mouse’s remakes of classics. The release of Mulan is around the corner, the Emma Stone-led Cruella is on the way and the studio just made a major move on Peter Pan & Wendy. Rob Marshall’s version of The Little Mermaid may be the most high-profile of them all, and it just hit a major casting anniversary. Take a look:

can’t believe this was a year ago today ? t.co/UEEDwOzbyE
— chloe x halle (@chloexhalle) July 4, 2020

Yup: it’s already been one year since Halle Bailey was confirmed to be playing Ariel in the upcoming big-budget, live-action musical. Last July, the Grown-ish actress and one half of sister musical duo Chloe x Halle was announced as a Disney Princess after an extensive casting process by the production and Rob Marshall, who previously helmed Mary Poppins Returns, Chicago and Into the Woods. Bailey shared the throwback tweet with a simple message showing her continued excitement and emotion over the role with a crying emoji, red heart and sparkle.

When the casting announcement was made it was met with some backlash from some who were expecting the character to match the 1989 look for the film’s character. But Halle Bailey has also been met with support from other Ariels including the original “Part of Your World” singer Jodie Benson.

We still have yet to see Halle’s look as Ariel one year later. The movie has been kept a mystery other than its incredible ensemble cast. Melissa McCarthy is playing Ursula, Hamilton’s Daveed Diggs is Sebastian, Awkwafina will be Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay is Flounder, Javier Bardem is King Triton, and British actor Jonah Hauer-King will play Prince Eric.

The Little Mermaid was set to begin filming this year, but due to global health concerns the production was shut down back in March, along with many other films. The 20-year-old actress shared an update to Entertainment Tonight saying,

I was in London at the beginning of the year about to start filming and of course this pandemic has caused everybody to slow down... I’m so very excited for when we start back again and it’s really coming together. I just feel honored every day to think about it or even talk about it, I’m like ‘What the heck, that’s really happening?’

Lin-Manuel Miranda is working with original The Little Mermaid composer Alan Menken on some additional songs for the film as the Hamilton playwright continues his frequent collaboration with Disney. Halle Bailey just dropped her second studio album last month with her sister Chloe under their name Chloe x Halle titled Ungodly Hour. The duo was discovered by Beyoncé back in 2013 when she took notice of their cover of her song “Pretty Hurts.”

The Little Mermaid does not yet have an official release date. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more news on Disney projects.

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From Nylon:

It Girl
Chloe x Halle Aren’t Holding Anything Back

Lauren Mccarthy

It all started with a mood board.

Back in December 2018, sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey, along with their younger brother Branson, wanted a weekend away — a “free your mind retreat,” in Halle’s words — to get some creative juices flowing. They hopped in Chloe’s Mini Cooper and headed to Palm Springs; 48 hours later, they left with 15 new songs and the spark of an album. Once home, they took that spark, plus a few old magazines, and created the mood board for what would eventually become their second album, Ungodly Hour. “There was a specific phrase that we were drawn to: ‘the trouble with angels,’” says Chloe, 22. “We didn’t know what we liked about it, but it stuck out. We picked a bunch of edgier images, including nude women and nude men to symbolize baring our souls and being naked in the music… After we finished the album seven or eight months later, we looked at the mood board and we had articulated everything we wanted to.”

Released on June 12, Ungodly Hour has received rave reviews for the sister duo. “Chloe x Halle shed their innocence with grace, as they do with everything else,” wrote Pitchfork, while Rolling Stone called it a “beautiful example of sisterly solidarity.” The album is a powerful, hit-filled record that’s made for the dance floor, while also seeing the duo — who were 19 and 17, respectively, when their first album The Kids Are Alright came out in 2018 — at their most provocative yet, both lyrically and visually. The album cover shows the sisters in matching latex mini dresses by Venus Prototype, standing intertwined, with gleaming metal wings protruding from their backs. “This album felt a lot darker, a lot naughtier than our usual selves, so we wanted to mirror that in the album cover,” says Halle, 20. “We wanted to show that we are strong and powerful and sexy. The latex did just that. Then the thing with the wings is to show that yes, we can be angelic, we can be fragile, but at the same time we are strong and built to withstand anything. And as a woman, you can be all of the above.”

On a recent morning in June, the sisters are dressed down in comparison to their hyper-stylized cover, but no less put together: Chloe wears her hair pulled back with large silver hoops and a glossy red lip, while Halle sits next to her in a ruffled turquoise blouse. The fact that they are camera ready at 9:30 a.m. — on a summer Friday, no less — is not surprising, given the pair’s reputation for professionalism (they are, after all, graduates of the Beyoncé School of Media). They answer each question thoughtfully, rarely speaking over each other or showing signs of disagreement; the only time the Zoom call — a notoriously chaotic interviewing vessel — gets vaguely off track is when their mom calls a question from another room (and even then, they swiftly mute their side of the chat).

The pair’s politeness, however, should not be confused for passivity. In both their music and in their beliefs, Chloe and Halle are quick to speak truthfully and clearly about what they believe in. Ungodly Hour was originally supposed to be released on June 5, but following the death of George Floyd and riots against police brutality that followed, they decided to push it back a week. “We were collectively mourning, in a way,” explains Chloe. “It felt very heavy in that week, especially. Being young, Black women, we feel very attached to what’s been going on. L.A. is usually always sunny, and it didn’t help that the sun was gone that week. We really felt it from all angles. We didn’t want the attention on us at that time.”

Instead, like many of their peers, they took to social media to make sure their voices were heard. “With all the things that we stand for and trying to bring about change and justice, we have to use our platform to speak up,” says Halle. “I’m proud to be a part of this generation. We’re not afraid to speak up and let our voices be heard. We are demanding justice. We are demanding basic human rights. Our skin color should not be a death sentence. Every time we see our peers speak up, we speak up right with them because we have to. It’s our duty as young Black women.”

When the pair eventually did release the album, its critical acclaim was met just as wholeheartedly with mass appeal; here was an album from two young Black women totally in control of their power (in addition to writing and performing, Chloe also produced nearly every track on the record). In extremely online terms, there was no choice but to Stan. “We have seen a lot of positive comments about the album, and that makes us so happy because this has been so important to us to release this project, especially during this time when we really feel it can be a healer,” says Halle.

With 13 songs that tackle topics ranging from heartbreak to the pressures of fame, creating the album was especially healing to the singers themselves. “In the beginning, we [held back] a little bit, but then we were like ‘screw this, we’re going to bare our souls and our hearts,’” says Chloe. “Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she was baring her soul and you connected with it. You felt, ‘She’s going through this, I’m going through this, and this music is for me.’ We want to create music like that.” Two major themes of the album, Halle adds, are the notions of confidence and vulnerability, as well as how they intersect. “The ideas are married to each other; sometimes you feel great and other days you are not so great,” she says. “For the album, we wanted to combine the two so that when you listen to it, you feel like you’re going through the phases of your life.”

Halle was in the midst of a new phase of her life — the starring role as Ariel in the live action remake of The Little Mermaid — when COVID-19 sent her back home from London, where she was in her third month of rehearsals, to quarantine with her family in California. But even with the album under their belts and the country essentially at a standstill, the creativity flowing within the Bailey household hasn’t stopped. Now that the album is out in the world, the pair have focused on creating groundbreaking at home performances, practically all of which have gone viral immediately after. “We realized that the possibilities were endless when we did the Dear Class of 2020. I was in awe like, ‘This looks like an actual concert.’ After that, the bar was set.” In the performance, the duo perform their hit “Do It,” swathed in white and crystals and shrouded in a circle of strobe lights. Between the cinematography, the choreography, and the overall perfectionism of it all, you’d never guess it was filmed in their backyard.

“After that, the bar was set,” says Halle. “And I can’t wait to keep raising that bar with my sister.”

Special thank you to Polaroid.

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Article in french from Rostercon:

Sterling Knight & Jonah Hauer-King pour un panel aux saveurs de Disney

En invitant Sterling Knight & Jonah Hauer-King à sa convention virtuelle, Neverland Adventure a ravi les fans de Disney. D’un côté pour la série Sonny, d’un autre pour le futur Prince Eric du film La Petite Sirène de Rob Marshall. Ensemble, ils ont donné un panel le 20 juin dans le cadre de la convention « Virtual Adventure ». Top 5 de leurs réponses 100% Disney.

1- Un rêve d’enfant de jouer pour Disney ?

Sterling Knight : j’ai grandi en regardant les séries Disney Channel et les films Disney. Mes grand-parents avaient un magasin de location de cassettes vidéos […] Mais je ne crois pas avoir eu envie de travailler spécifiquement pour Disney. Je veux juste travailler (rire), peu importe l’employeur. Évidemment, comme j’ai grandi en regardant toutes ces séries, c’était vraiment cool d’être dans l’une d’elles.
Jonah Hauer-King : Je n’aurais jamais imaginé être dans un film Disney. En grandissant j’en ai regardé beaucoup et j’ai plein de souvenirs de tous ces films. J’ai même encore actuellement chez moi de vieilles VHS des films Disney (il montre les cassettes de La Belle et La Bête et Aladdin). Quand des gens viennent chez moi ils se moquent en disant « ah oui, comme tu es dans un film Disney, tu as toutes les VHS ». Mais non, je les ai depuis toujours (rire) !

2- L’audition pour le Prince Eric et le tournage

Jonah : Le processus d’audition a été très long. J’ai commencé par faire trois ou quatre vidéos depuis chez moi de scènes différentes sur une période de quelques semaines. Ensuite, on m’a demandé de venir rencontrer Rob (Marshall), le directeur. J’y suis retourné 3 ou 4 fois et lors de la dernière audition j’étais avec Halle (Bailey) qui joue le rôle d’Ariel. Je suis arrivé pour la dernière audition, j’avais l’impression d’être sur un plateau de tournage : on avait des caravanes, un décor qui avait été construit juste pour le jour de l’audition et qui a été détruit juste après, toute une équipe de tournage, on était en costume, c’est comme s’ils avaient filmé une petite version du film. C’est à la fois bizarre et intimidant mais ça ressemblait aussi à un jour de tournage classique donc c’était une expérience sympa. J’avais juste envie d’en profiter peu importe le résultat de l’audition.
Tout le processus d’audition s’est passé sur environ 6 mois et finalement Rob m’a appelé en numéro masqué en disant « allo, c’est le prince Eric ? » J’ai répondu : « euh non, ce n’est pas moi, je ne sais pas ». C’était très sympa de sa part. Souvent les auditions peuvent être vraiment difficiles parce que c’est très stressant, il y a beaucoup de pression. Alors qu’avec Rob, à chaque fois que j’y allais, il me disait « pense comme si c’était juste une scène que tu tournes pour un film, ne pense pas au résultat ni au futur ». C’est difficile à faire mais ça m’a aidé.

Sterling avouera, en plaisantant, être très jaloux de l’expérience racontée par Jonah « La plupart du temps tu te rends dans un placard un peu bizarre pour tes auditions (rire) avec une caméra de mauvaise qualité et quelqu’un qui est en face de toi pour te donner la réplique mais qui n’a clairement pas envie d’être là. »

Jonah : Je suis très impatient de jouer le rôle. On a répété pendant 3 mois et on allait commencer à tourner quand la pandémie est arrivée.
Rob est un réalisateur brillant, c’est le rêve de tous les acteurs de tourner avec un réalisateur comme lui parce qu’on apprend beaucoup de lui. Halle est très talentueuse, je me sens chanceux de travailler avec elle ou avec Melissa McCarthy et Javier Bardem. Ce sont des gens géniaux. C’était un rêve de les rencontrer mais en plus de pouvoir travailler avec eux… […] Je suis ravi et effrayé à la fois de jouer le rôle parce qu’on se demande si on ne va pas être pire que l’original. Il faut trouver l’équilibre entre ce qui a été fait au départ tout en créant un nouvel aspect au film.

3- Si vous pouviez vivre dans un univers Disney, lequel ce serait ?

Pocahontas a été le choix de Jonah « c’est le premier film Disney que je me souviens avoir regardé. Je me souviens de la beauté de la nature dans Pocahontas ». Sterling a porté son choix sur Les 101 dalmatiens « pour les chiens mais aussi le jazz, le piano… «

4- Le moment préféré sur le tournage de Sonny et son sentiment par rapport à ses fans

Sterling : il date du début de la série. Un jour, on a décidé de rester au travail et ne pas rentrer chez nous le soir. On est dans les studios NBC à Burbank, sur le plus grand plateau et on se dit, allez, ce soir on va dormir dans le vestiaire. J’avais ma Xbox, ma guitare et on a fait une gigantesque soirée pyjama dans le vestiaire. On courait dans les couloirs, on était tellement content d’être là, sur ce magnifique plateau. C’était génial.
On a d’ailleurs fait une réunion Zoom avec tout le monde récemment. C’est dingue de voir l’évolution de chacun comme Demi (Lovato) cette grande artiste, Tiffany (Dawn Thornton) qui a des enfants, une famille…

Sterling : Je trouve ça génial que les fans pensent à moi comme souvenir de jeunesse. Je suis confus par rapport à ça, au fait qu’on me trouve cool (rire). C’est un honneur et un privilège de faire partie des souvenirs sympathiques des gens. Et je ne le prends pas à la légère. Quand la série est sortie les fans avaient 13 ou 14 ans, maintenant 24 ou 25 ans. Certaines de ces personnes ont des enfants… […] Avoir un impact positif sur la vie de quelqu’un, c’est la partie préférée de mon boulot. Permettre à des gens de rire ou de pleurer quand ils en ont besoin, il n’y a pas de meilleur compliment.

5- S’ils pouvaient être un personnage de Disney lequel ce serait ?

Jonah part directement vers le personnage de Cruella des 101 dalmatiens. Il plaisantera sur le fait qu’ils ont hésité entre lui et Emma Stone pour la version du film de 2021… finalement ils l’ont choisi elle. Sterling choisi deux personnages pour des raisons bien particulières : « en numéro 1 Hercule, parce que la musique est géniale suivi, en numéro 2, par Tarzan parce que Phil Collins ! »

Les infos en plus

Le personnage de Chad Dylan Cooper est celui que Sterling a préféré jouer dans sa carrière. Pour Jonah, il s’agit du rôle de Christian dans Once Upon a Time in Staten Island, film qui doit bientôt sortir.
Un rôle rêvé pour le futur ? Juste d’avoir des rôles diversifiés et stimulants pour Jonah. Sterling s’oriente vers un film d’action du style de John Wick : « Je veux faire exploser des trucs autour de moi, aller hyper vite, jouer une sorte de super-héros serait cool. En fait ce que je veux vraiment, c’est marcher et avoir quelque chose qui explose dans le fond, dans mon dos sans que je n’ai de réactions (rire). »
Des conseils en matière de TV ou films ? Jonah parle de Normal People (Hulu) et de Le 13e « un documentaire fascinant sur Netflix sur le système carcéral aux États-Unis. C’est très difficile à regarder mais très important de le faire selon moi ». Sterling est plutôt films et séries qui le font se sentir bien. Il voit cet art comme un échappatoire. Plus spécifiquement il conseil de regarder « Le Roi sur Netflix. Il est incroyable. Il y a une séquence de bagarres dans la première partie du film qui est, selon moi, une des meilleures que je n’ai jamais vu. C’est filmé de façon très réaliste ».
S’il n’avait pas été acteur, Sterling aurait aimé être avocat « je voyais les salles d’audience comme des scènes. Mais ensuite j’ai vu qu’il fallait aller à l’école très longtemps donc j’ai laissé tomber. J’aime beaucoup argumenter avec les gens donc c’était peut être aussi une des raisons… » Jonah mentionnera un métier de rêve de sa jeunesse : footballeur « mais je me suis rendu compte rapidement que ça n’allait jamais arriver (rire) ». Et concernant un métier plus réaliste, rien de spécifique, mais juste travailler dans la musique.
Sterling et Jonah écoutent toute sorte de musique. Jonah mentionne le groupe de sa co-star de La Petite Sirène « Chloe x Halle » ainsi qu’un compositeur de musique classique : Chris Sand. Sterling parle de blues, de country… « j’ai apparemment 85 ans en fait à l’intérieur de moi (rire) ». Il citera également de grands guitaristes : Joe Bonamassa, Josh Smith et Kirk Fletcher.
Jonah est un grand fan de foot et notamment du club d’Arsenal. Sterling avoue ne pas tout comprendre à la technique du foot « européen », lui qui est plus dans un pays où le football américain est roi. « Le plus grand problème que j’ai avec le football européen c’est le fait que les joueurs n’arrêtent pas de se passer la balle en arrière, vers le gardien. Je ne comprend pas ». Ils se sont promis de se retrouver pour voir un match d’Arsenal. Jonah aura ainsi l’occasion d’apprendre les techniques du foot à Sterling.
Sterling et Jonah sont de grands fans de comédies musicales. « Je pleure tout le temps devant les comédies musicales. Wicked ? j’ai pleuré à la fin de premier acte. Next to Normal est un show magnifique. The Book of Mormon est fantastique, La Mélodie du bonheur… » avouera Sterling. Quand à Jonah, il mentionne Wicked, Dreamgirls, La Revanche d’une blonde, le musical qu’il est allé voir « de force » avec ses deux sœurs : « Quand j’avais 11 ou 12 ans à New York. Au départ je n’avais pas envie d’accompagner mes sœurs et au final c’était génial. »
Il est possible que vous retrouviez Sterling et Jonah dans les Alpes Suisse dans un futur proche. Après avoir vu une vidéo des paysages, Sterling n’a qu’une envie : y aller. Jonah lui apprend, que si c’est possible de voyager, c’est justement là bas qu’il comptait aller cet été. Sterling vient de rentrer d’un voyage de deux mois et demi dans le sud de l’Asie avec son frère et sa sœur : « On était en Thaïlande, au Vietnam, à Bali et je ne me suis jamais senti si vivant que là-bas. Voyager c’est une des meilleures choses à faire. » Jonah, quant à lui, aimerait beaucoup aller en Islande ou en Patagonie pour la nature lui qui aime beaucoup faire des randonnées.
Leurs familles ont été un soutien pour les deux acteurs quand ils ont débuté leur carrière. Jonah se souvient que sa maman, qui produisait entre autres du théâtre et avait donc beaucoup d’amis du métier, ne l’a jamais encouragé à le faire « mais dès que je lui ai dit que c’est ce que je voulais faire elle m’a dit vas-y lance toi. » Les parents de Sterling l’ont également soutenu puisque, habitant le Texas, 6 mois par an pendant des années sa maman l’a accompagné à Los Angeles pour tourner « Ma mère était loin de mon père, il essayait de venir les week-ends quand il pouvait. Ils ont été d’un grand soutien ». Par contre, le reste de sa famille ne comprend toujours pas ce qu’il fait dira-t-il en rigolant « ‘tu vas trouver du boulot?’ Je croyais que j’en avais un… (rire) ».
Enfin, ils ont parlé de nourriture préférée. Jonah penche pour de la nourriture indienne qui est très présente en Angleterre, Sterling avoue que peu importe l’heure du jour ou de la nuit il est toujours partant pour « un curry vert ». Il se lancera ensuite dans une explication sur la nourriture mexicaine qui n’est pas la même au Mexique qu’aux États-Unis et ce malgré le fait qu’on l’appelle « nourriture mexicaine » des deux côtés de la frontière. « Il y a même une différence entre la nourriture mexicaine de Los Angeles et de Houston (Texas). Les américains sont fous (rire). »

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From ETOnline:

MOVIES
'The Little Mermaid': Lin-Manuel Miranda Says Halle Bailey Will Be an 'Incredible' Ariel (Exclusive)
By Philiana Ng‍ 9:37 AM PDT, July 9, 2020

Even Lin-Manuel Miranda can't wait for everyone to see Halle Bailey in Disney's live-action The Little Mermaid remake.

The Hamilton creator teamed with legendary composer-songwriter Alan Menken to write four new songs for the anticipated movie, which stars Baileyas Ariel. Miranda promised fans of the 1989 animated classic that the Grown-ish star and Chloe x Halle singer will blow everyone away.

"Halle Bailey is going to be such an incredible Ariel," the 40-year-old songwriter told ET's Keltie Knight while promoting Hamilton's Disney+ premiere. "And getting to write music for these characters that are probably the reason I started writing musicals in the first place, it was actually easier than I thought."

"But the hardest part was my own intimidation working with Alan Menken and that was entirely self-imposed," acknowledged Miranda, who also serves as a producer alongside Marc Platt. "But when it came to how these characters speak and what they say, I've known that all my life. So that was a joy."

Miranda named his eldest son, 5-year-old Sebastian, after the wise-cracking crab character in The Little Mermaid.

The confirmed cast of The Little Mermaid remake, which was originally supposed to begin filming earlier this year, includes British actor Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric (after Harry Stylespassed on the role).

In April, Bailey spoke to ET's Melicia Johnson about the status of The Little Mermaid.

"Just like everybody else, the whole world is put on pause. I was in London since the beginning of the year, about to start filming and of course, this pandemic has caused everybody to kind of slow down," Bailey said. "I actually welcomed it, because I was really missing my sister. She was here in L.A. and I was in London, so I was happy to get back to her. I'm just so very excited for when we start back again. It's really coming together. I just feel honored every day to even think about or talk about it. I'm like, 'What the heck! It's really happening!'"

Who else will be joining Bailey and Hauer-King in the cast? That gets a little murkier as stars have remained coy about their participation. Rumored castmates includeMelissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Awkwafinaas Scuttle, Jacob Tremblayas Flounder and Daveed Diggsas Sebastian. Bailey confirmed to ET that "everybody is a family" already and didn't anticipate any cast changes due to the pandemic.

Diggs danced around the topic of Little Mermaid when ET asked about the film, which would reunite him with his Hamilton co-star, Miranda. "Oh, I'm not allowed to talk about that," he played coy during a promo tour for the Hamilton movie, later adding, "I don't know nothing about The Little Mermaid."

"I've gotten to work with [Lin] again in a number of different ways and the experience is always the same," Diggs said. "It's always one of great trust from somebody who's really good at the thing he does. To then come to me with a thing and be like, 'Do you,' that's very empowering."

For more on The Little Mermaid, watch ET's interview with Awkwafina below.

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From Bustle:

Lin-Manuel Miranda Also Can't Wait To See Halle Bailey's Ariel
He's writing new music for the live-action 'Little Mermaid.'

By Julia Emmanuele
July 9, 2020

The upcoming live action adaptation of The Little Mermaid will have whosits and whatsits galore — and one "incredible" leading lady, according to the film's creative team. During a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, composer Lin-Manuel Miranda said Halle Bailey will be "incredible" as Ariel in Disney's live action Little Mermaid movie. The Hamilton composer teamed up with Alan Menken — who wrote the music for the 1989 animated classic — to write four new songs for the new film, and he's most excited for the world to see Bailey take on the role as the iconic mermaid princess.

"Halle Bailey is going to be such an incredible Ariel," Miranda told ET. "And getting to write music for these characters that are probably the reason I started writing musicals in the first place, it was actually easier than I thought." Though he admitted that he was "intimidated" by the prospect of working with Menken on new songs, Miranda described the experience of making the movie as a "joy." He explained, "The hardest part was my own intimidation working with Alan Menken and that was entirely self-imposed. But when it came to how these characters speak and what they say, I've known that all my life."

Bailey — who is best known for a supporting role on Grown-ish and for being one half of the R&B group, Chloe X Halle — was cast as Ariel in the live action Little Mermaid back in July 2019. She described the casting as a "dream come true" in an Instagram post, while director Rob Marshall praised her for having "that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance — plus a glorious singing voice" in an official statement.

Unfortunately, not everyone was as excited to see Bailey take on the role of Ariel as Marshall and Miranda, as the actor and singer dealt with racist backlash from fans who claimed that she couldn't play the mermaid because she's Black. Still, Bailey told Variety in August 2019 that she wasn't going to let the negative comments stand in the way of her playing her dream role. "I feel like I'm dreaming and I'm just grateful and I don't pay attention to the negativity," she said at the time. "I just feel like this role was something bigger than me and greater and it's going to be beautiful," Bailey said. "I'm just so excited to be a part of it."

Of course, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it's unclear when fans will get to see Bailey as Ariel onscreen for the first time. In April, the Grown-ish star told ET that production on the live action film had been postponed, just as she arrived in London to begin filming. "Just like everybody else, the whole world is put on pause," she explained at the time.

"I was in London since the beginning of the year, about to start filming and of course, this pandemic has caused everybody to kind of slow down," Bailey continued. "I'm just so very excited for when we start back again. It's really coming together. I just feel honored every day to even think about or talk about it. I'm like, 'What the heck! It's really happening!'"

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From Comicbook:

The Little Mermaid Live-Action Remake Working Title Revealed
By BRANDON DAVIS - July 9, 2020 01:27 pm EDT

Disney is getting ready to dive into production on The Little Mermaid as a live-action remake of the original animated classic. Now, the working title for the production has been revealed, and it will operate under the guise of "Scallops." The film is scheduled for release in November of 2021. There has been no indication that the coronavirus pandemic which has put a temporary halt on all movie and television productions will have impacted that date. The film is expected to make the titular character a bit more powerful, with a young actress already having been cast in the role.

“Some of the updates they’ve done to the story are really important in terms of giving some more power back to Ariel,” The Little Mermaid's Sebastian actor Daveed Diggs said. “It’s fun to work on something that’s so intentional in the idea of ‘If we’re going to make this now, we’re not going to leave this alone as a time capsule.’ Let’s make it for now.”

The news of the production title came from Skyler Schuler, TheDisInsider's Editor-in-Chief, who revealed it on Twitter. See the tweet from the often-accurate all-things-Disney reporter below!

Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID will shoot under the working title ”SCALLOP” pic.twitter.com/Ejv6u27gd0

— Skyler Shuler (@skylershuler) July 9, 2020
The Little Mermaid will star Halle Bailey as Ariel in the live-action take. While many are excited about this casting, the Internet's negativity also showed its ugly face when the news came out. Bailey, however, won't be bothered by any of that noise. Bailey told Teen Vogue, “We've always learned to just keep our heads up no matter the situation. No matter what anybody has to say about you...just keep pushing.”

When the news of the casting came out, Variety also had a sit down with the actress and she reiterated her excitement to be associated with this project. "I feel like I'm dreaming, and I'm just grateful." Bailey said. "And I don't pay attention to the negativity. I just feel like this role is something bigger than me, and greater, and it's going to be beautiful. I'm just so excited to be a part of it."

The Little Mermaid is scheduled to be released on November 19, 2021.

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From Film News:

Lin-Manuel Miranda: 'Halle Bailey is going to be such an incredible Ariel'
6 h

Lin-Manuel Miranda can't wait for audiences to see Halle Bailey play Ariel in Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.

It was announced last year that the Hamilton creator would be working with composer and songwriter Alan Menken – who wrote the music for the 1989 animated classic – on four new songs for the highly-anticipated reboot.

And Miranda revealed that the Chloe x Halle singer will stun fans with her performance as the love-struck mermaid.

"Halle Bailey is going to be such an incredible Ariel," the 40-year-old told Entertainment Tonight.

The Mary Poppins Returns star said that getting the opportunity to work on the live-action remake, and writing songs for such iconic characters such as Ariel, singing crustacean Sebastian, and villainous sea witch Ursula, was a dream come true.

"Getting to write music for these characters that are probably the reason I started writing musicals in the first place, it was actually easier than I thought," Miranda, who also serves as producer on the project, shared.

"But the hardest part was my own intimidation working with Alan Menken and that was entirely self-imposed," he added. "But when it came to how these characters speak and what they say, I've known that all my life. So that was a joy."

He also sweetly added that he named his eldest son, five-year-old Sebastian, after the crooning crab.

The Little Mermaid is scheduled for release in November next year.

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From CheatSheet:

HOME / ENTERTAINMENT /
'Little Mermaid' star Halle Bailey Describes 'Upgraded' Disney Live-Action Remake
Fred Topel

July 11, 2020

Disney’s live-action remakes of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Jungle Book have been fairly faithful to their animated predecessors. Dumbo made a few changes and Mulan has taken out the music. The Little Mermaid indicated a major change as soon as they cast Halle Bailey as Ariel, the little mermaid of the title.

Bailey was a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show on July 9 with her sister, Chloe to discuss their latest Chloe x Halle album, Ungodly Hour. Clarkson asked Halle about her role in The Little Mermaid, too.

Halle Bailey faced backlash over ‘The Little Mermaid’

When Disney announced Bailey would play Ariel, movie stars like Halle Berry and Zendaya and recording artist Mariah Carey congratulated her. Unfortunately, many people complained on Twitter about casting a Black woman as Ariel, since she would not look like the Caucasian redhead of the animated film.

Fortunately, the backlash against making Ariel Black in the live-action Little Mermaid was met with a backlash against bigotry. More fans came out in support of Bailey and the film’s new interpretation of Ariel.

Halle Bailey assures ‘Little Mermaid’ fans it’s still the story they love

The Little Mermaid was based on the Hans Christian Andersen story about a mermaid who wishes to be human. Ariel gets her chance and falls in love with Prince Eric, but the evil Ursula wants to use her to take over the undersea kingdom. Bailey says all of that and more are still in The Little Mermaid.

“I’m just excited for everyone to see the kind of upgraded but still very close to home as the original [movie],” Bailey told Clarkson. “The original was my favorite when I was little as well. I think everybody really connects with Ariel in a way and resonates with the feeling of wanting to be somewhere and feel like home is another place.”

Halle Bailey’s acting experience

In addition to her fulltime music career with Chloe x Halle, Bailey has acted before The Little Mermaid. She appeared in the Queen Latifah movie Last Holiday and episodes of House of Payne and Austin & Ally.

Bailey also had a regular role on the TV series Grown-ish. She played twin sisters with her real life sister (but not twin) Chloe. The Little Mermaid will combine Bailey’s acting and singing talents when she sings “Part of Your World.”

‘The Little Mermaid’ will only add more fans

Bailey’s hopes for her taking on the role of Ariel is that even more little girls grow up loving The Little Mermaid. There has only been one Disney Princess of color, Tiana in The Princess and the Frog. That was great but not nearly as popular as The Little Mermaid. She promises to be both the Ariel you remember and a new Ariel for young girls.

“We are really excited for it,” Bailey said. “I just feel very honored to take on that role to show other black girls that they can be princesses too.”

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From DailyMail:

Chloe x Halle share behind-the-scenes photos in shiny latex from photoshoot for Ungodly Hour album

By Paul Chavez For Dailymail.com

Published: 07:47 BST, 13 July 2020 | Updated: 13:46 BST, 13 July 2020

Chloe x Halle shared behind-the-scenes photos Sunday from their album cover photoshoot.

The singing Bailey sisters posted pictures on Instagram in shiny black latex to mark a milestone for their new album Ungodly Hour.

They wrote in the caption for their roughly 3.2 million followers: 'happy one month anniversary to our sophomore album “ungodly hour” !!! this was the day we shot the album cover...wearing latex in 90+ degree weather is no walk in the park ...what song off “ungodly hour” do you wanna see a video to?'

Album shoot: Chloe x Halle shared behind-the-scenes photos Sunday from their album cover photoshoot

The sisters were seen standing next to each posing for the camera in tight latex outfits and thigh-high black boots.

Chloe, 22, and Halle, 20, released their debut album The Kids Are Alright in 2018.

They earned two Grammy Awards nominations for Best New Artist and Best Urban Contemporary Album.

Ungodly Hour has received widespread critical acclaim with reviewers praising their vocal delivery, artistic growth, maturity and the work's cohesiveness.

Singing sisters: The singing Bailey sisters posted pictures on Instagram in shiny black latex to mark a milestone for their new album Ungodly Hour.

Black latex: Chloe and Halle wore black latex in 90-plus degree weather during the photoshoot for their new Ungodly Hour album

Sophomore album: Chloe x Halle marked the one-month anniversary of their new album

The album's lead single Do It has become their most successful song to date.

Do It peaked at number 83 on the Billboard US Hot 100 chart and also reached number three on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart, making it their first top five hit on that chart.

Disney announced in July 2019 that Halle had been cast as Ariel in an upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid set to be directed by Rob Marshall, 59.

Critical acclaim: Ungodly Hour has received widespread critical acclaim with reviewers praising their vocal delivery, artistic growth, maturity and the work's cohesiveness

He is best known for directing the film version of the Broadway musical Chicago.

Rob also is a producer of The Little Mermaid, which was scheduled to begin filming in April at Pinewood Studios in London before production was temporarily halted in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Filming was expected to resume this month in London with cast and crew living in a 'bubble' close to the production area.

Disney role: Disney announced in July 2019 that Halle had been cast as Ariel in an upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid set to be directed by Rob Marshall, 59

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Italian article from HuffingtonPost:

CULTURE
15/07/2020 17:48 CEST | Aggiornato 21 ore fa
Svolta "black" a Hollywood: Batwoman, una serie su Kaepernick e la Sirenetta afroamericana
Più spazio alle minoranze tra i votanti per gli Oscar, l’afroamericana Javicia Leslie interpreterà Batwoman e presto su set una Sirenetta afroamericana

di Francesca Pierleoni

Il movimento Black Lives Matter, voce della protesta tornata in strada dopo la morte di George Floyd sta avendo una profonda risonanza anche a Hollywood, dove da anni si chiedono cast più inclusivi sia a livello etnico che di gender, paghe eque e una maggiore rappresentatività delle minoranze fra dirigenti e autori delle major. Una trasformazione in atto anche nell’Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts & Sciences come testimonia l’elenco 2020 di nomi (819 quest’anno) invitati ad unirsi al board che vota per gli Oscar.

Fra le new entry il il 49% viene dal resto del mondo (tra gli italiani Pierfrancesco Favino e Cristina Comencini); il 45% sono donne e il 36% appartiene a minoranze etniche. E’ stato inoltre da poco annunciato che sarà l’afroamericana Javicia Leslie a interpretare Batwoman nelle serie Dc Comics/Warner/Cw sulla supereroina, dopo l’addio al personaggio di Ruby Rose.

“Sono estremamente fiera di essere la prima attrice nera a interpretare Batwoman - ha detto Javicia Leslie a Variety - e come donna bisessuale sono onorata di entrare in questa serie all’avanguardia ed apriprista per la comunità Lgbt+”. La Disney aveva fatto sapere già un anno fa che a interpretare La Sirenetta nel remake live action sarebbe stata la ventenne cantante afroamericana Halle Bailey. L’avvio delle riprese a marzo, è stato bloccato per il coronavirus, ma il primo ciak dovrebbe esserci entro l’estate. Anche in casa Disney però non mancano polemiche: secondo Anthony Mackie (interprete del supereroe Falcon), nonostante un film come Black Panther, che sarebbe solo un’eccezione, i cast nei film Marvel restano in gran parte bianchi.

Netflix (che destinerà anche 5 milioni di dollari a una serie di organizzazioni dedicate alla creazione di opportunità per i giovani artisti afroamericani e per le imprese guidate da neri) ha appena approvato una serie documentaria in sei parti, prodotta da Ava Duvernay su Colin Kaepernick, il quarterback diventato un simbolo del Black lives matter, nel 2016 quando ha dato il via alla protesta di vari sportivi contro gli abusi della polizia inginocchiandosi durante l’inno nazionale. Un gesto che gli è costato la carriera, anche se ora l’Nfl (e persino Trump che l’aveva duramente contestato) hanno fatto ammenda. Sempre Netflix ha dato il via alla docuseries nata da Pharrell Williams (insieme allo zio vescovo, Ezekiel Williams) Voices of Fire, dedicata alla ricerca di nuovi talenti del gospel nella regione natale, Hampton Roads in Virginia.

Pharrell è anche in trattativa per la realizzazione con Kenya Barris (BlackAF) di un musical per la piattaforma ispirato al Juneteenth, la celebrazione della fine della schiavitù, che negli Usa ricorre il 19 giugno. Il campione di basket e produttore Lebron James ha appena firmato un contratto con la Abc per lo sviluppo di nuove serie. Michael B. Jordan con Amazon, promuove per tutta l’estate A Night at the Drive in’ un ciclo gratuito di proiezioni nei drive-in Usa di film, che celebrano il multiculturalismo: tra i titoli in programma Love & Basketball, Crazy & Rich, Black Panther, Creed, Hook, Spider-Man - Un nuovo universo, Do the Right Thing, Get Out, Il principe cerca moglie e Il viaggio delle ragazze. L’Hbo produrrà una seconda stagione della serie comedy Betty, dedicata a giovani donne skateboarder appartenenti a diverse etnie. La Cbs si è impegnata a destinare il 25% dei suoi budget 2021/2022 per lo sviluppo di sceneggiature a progetti, di creatori, scrittori e produttori che siano neri, nativi americani o di colore.

Inoltre sempre dalla stagione 2021/2022 le squadre di autori al lavoro sui propri programmi dovranno essere rappresentative per il 40% delle minoranze etniche, quota che salirà al 50% dal 2022/ 2023. Si attiva anche il mondo dell’animazione per il piccolo schermo. Jenny Slate finora doppiatrice di una dei piccoli protagonisti di colore della serie Big Mouth (Netflix) ha rinunciato al ruolo chiedendo di venire sostituita da un’attrice di una minoranza. La stessa richiesta è venuta da Kristen Bell, che ha lasciato nella sitcom animata Central Park (Apple Tv) il ruolo di Molly, un’adolescente nata da un papà nero e una mamma bianca. Allo stesso modo i produttori de I Simpsons hanno annunciato che non useranno più attori bianchi per dare la voce a personaggi di diverse etnie.

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Last year's article from DailyMail:

Halle Bailey is accompanied by her sister Chloe as she is seen for the time since trolls slammed decision to cast her as Ariel in The Little Mermaid
By HEIDI PARKER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 21:37 BST, 9 July 2019 | UPDATED: 22:54 BST, 9 July 2019

Halle Bailey was seen at an airport in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon.

The 19-year-old actress was accompanied by her 21-year-old sister Chloe, who is her partner in her Chloe X Halle music group, as well as other family members.

This is the first time Halle has been seen since trolls voiced their dissatisfaction over the young star being cast as Ariel in a live-action version of the Disney animated classic The Little Mermaid.


Marching on: Halle Bailey was seen at an airport in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon after the choice to cast her as Ariel in a live action version of The Little Mermaid was announced


Sissy: The 19-year-old actress was accompanied by her 21-year-old sister Chloe, who is her partner in her Chloe X Halle music group

Halle did not seem to be in the best of spirits as she failed to crack a smile while walking alongside Chloe.

The star had on a red Bulls hoodie with a backpack on and white slacks with cream-colored sneakers.

Next to her was Chloe who was also in a red hoodie though she opted for black Nike leggings and beige sneakers.


They have support: The ladies were not alone as they seemed to have at least two family members with them and an attendant who had a cart for their luggage

The ladies were not alone as they seemed to have at least two family members with them and an attendant who had a cart for their luggage.

This sighting comes after there was a backlash with her casting.

The controversy began after people online expressed their distaste about Disney casting a black actress to play the fictitious character, who was portrayed as a red-headed white teen in the 1989 animated feature.

People online demanded that the Mouse House recast the role and the hashtag #NotMyAriel was created.

That sinking feeling: The controversy began after people online expressed their distaste about Disney casting a black actress to play the fictitious character, who was portrayed as a red-headed white teen in the 1989 animated feature

Social media trolls had gone wild with the news that Disney cast an actress who isn't white for the role of Ariel.

Twitter users have even gone as far as trying to prove with science why Ariel — a cartoon character — should be white.

They claimed that according to 'mermaid science,' the mythological creatures are white because they live underwater they have less melanin which gives them a lighter skin color.

Freeform penned an open letter to the 'poor, unfortunate souls' complaining about Bailey's casting.

'Yes. The original author of The Little Mermaid was Danish,' the Freeform post began.

'Ariel…is a mermaid. She lives in an underwater kingdom in international waters and can legit swim wherever she wants (even though that often upsets King Triton, absolute zaddy).

'But for the sake of argument, let's say that Ariel, too, is Danish. Danish mermaids can be black because Danish *people* can be black.'

It was added: 'Ariel can sneak up to the surface at any time with her pals Scuttle and the *ahem* Jamaican crab Sebastian (sorry, Flounder!) and keep that bronze base tight. Black Danish people, and this mer-folk, can also *genetically* (!!!) have red hair,' the open letter continued.


Haters: The network clapped back with a message to educate trolls who wanted Ariel recast because Halle is black in a message that called the 19-year-old starlet 'incredible, sensational, highly-talented and gorgeous'

'But spoiler alert – bring it back to the top – the character of Ariel is a work of fiction. So after all this is said and done, and you still cannot get past the idea that choosing the incredible, sensational, highly-talented, gorgeous Halle Bailey is anything other than the INSPIRED casting that it is because she "doesn't look like the cartoon one," oh boy, do I have some news for you…about you.'

Freeform, which was previously known as ABC Family is owned by The Walt Disney Company.

'After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance — plus a glorious singing voice — all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role,' director Rob Marshall said in a statement announcing her casting last week.

In the family: Halle stars on the Freeform show Grown-ish; Freeform is owned by The Walt Disney Company

King of the sea: Terry Crews took to Twitter on Saturday to share a photo shopped picture of himself as King Triton as rumored swirled Melissa McCarthy and Awkwafina were joining the cast

While casting is not yet complete, the movie will also likely see Jacob Tremblay, 12, play Ariel's best bud, Flounder, and Awkwafina, 31, as seagull, Scuttle, appear on screen.

The past week has seen reports reveal that Melissa McCarthy is in talks to play the villain, Ursula.

Meanwhile, actor Terry Crews has started campaigning to play Ariel's father King Triton. He took to Twitter on Saturday to share a photoshopped picture of himself as the mer-man. 'Ariel's Dad!!!! #ArielsGotTerry #AmericasGotTerry,' he said alongside the photo.

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From Skyler Shuler instagram stories:

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From Variety:

Sardinia Opens for Film and TV Production

By Nick Vivarelli

Sardinia, a longtime a magnet for international productions spanning from James Bond classic “The Spy Who Loved Me” to George Clooney-directed TV series “Catch-22,” is ready for its close up again.

Following a hiatus due to the coronavirus crisis, the Italian island known for its emerald coast and ancient monuments is now hosting shoots for food and travel TV shows while scouting is under way for prospective big productions, including several from global streaming giants.

“We are doing lots of location scouting with Netflix, Amazon and Disney,” says Nevina Satta, head of the Sardinia Film Commission, who has long been a champion of eco-friendly best practices on set.

She has been busy training local executive producers in COVID-19 safety protocols alongside previous “green set” directives that the film commission had in place. Incidentally, during the pandemic, Sardinia had the lowest rates of coronavirus infection in Italy.

“COVID can actually be an opportunity to improve the implementation of other types of protocols and try not to lose the ties between eco-sustainability and security on set,” Satta says.

Though anything coming from Hollywood is kept tightly under wraps due to non-disclosure agreements, sources say Disney’s live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” is expected for extensive shooting in Sardinia starting in January, after it resumes production at Pinewood Studios in London. Satta had no comment.

The next indie feature set to shoot in Sardinia will be coming-of-age drama “Pantera,” set against the backdrop of a tribal carnival ritual. Directed by Adriano Valerio, whose debut “Banat” (“Il Viaggio”) was in the 2015 Venice Critics’ Week, the sophomore outing follows two Sardinian teens who are Romeo and Juliet-like lovers, but also involves “panthers and dead bodies,” says its producer Simone Gattoni, head of Kavac Film, the shingle behind Marco Bellocchio’s “The Traitor.”

Shooting of “Dry Land,” a drama by Polish director Agnieszka Woszczyńska, whose short film “Fragments” was presented in the 2014 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, is also now set to start in Sardinia in September after being postponed.

It’s a drama about a married Polish couple on holiday who are initially unfazed when a man drops dead in front of them, though this incident subsequently takes them “out of their comfort zone,” according to promotional materials. “Dry Land” is being co-produced by Poland’s Lava Films and Italy’s Kino Produzioni.

These pics will tap into Sardinia’s local co-production fund and hospitality cash rebate on top of Italy’s 30% tax credit (with a roughly $22 million cap) that also has a cash-back structure allowing producers to use 80% of the incentive while they shoot.

Besides Hulu’s “Catch-22,” which Clooney directed, starred in and produced, recent productions shot in Sardinia include Brian De Palma’s political thriller “Domino,” which opened the Filming Italy Sardegna festival last year; Laura Luchetti’s “Twin Flower,” which launched at the 2018 Toronto fest; and thriller “5 Is the Perfect Number,” directed by native Sardinian Igor Tuveri, the illustrator-turned-film-director who goes by the name Igort.

The emerald island is also looking to cater to the global animation industry, having forged a partnership with Canada-based software maker Toon Boom, which makes software used by Hollywood studios such as Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks and Nickelodeon. They set up specialized workshops to create a local production-ready workforce. This training did not stop during the pandemic and just spawned its first certified 2D animation specialists.
Next year, Sardinia will also host Cartoon Digital the European digital animation professionals’ confab.

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From TheDisInsider:

Exclusive: Disney Circling Kacey Musgraves For Role in The Live-Action ‘The Little Mermaid’

By Skyler Shuler On Jul 23, 2020

Disney has reportedly had meetings via Zoom with American singer-songwriter and six-time Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves for a role in Disney’s highly-anticipated live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid.

The role we hear she is circling for is Vanessa, the human persona that Ursula transformed into leading to the climax of the second act, creating conflict in the third act, “the end” of The Little Mermaid to stop Ariel from fulfilling the deal with Eric. Through her involvement on the project could be entirely different.

I’ve had a number of people confirm this but couldn’t get a confirmation on whether or not these meetings have gone anywhere at this point, so it should be noted there is a chance she could have passed. Reps for Musgraves have yet to respond.

Musgraves joins an all-star cast that includes Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah-Hauer King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as the villainous Sea Witch Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Awkwafina as Scuttle.

Filming is expected to start production this Summer at Pinewood Studios in London. The film was just days away from filming back in March until the COVID-19 outbreak caused the studio to close production, sending the cast and crew back home. Now, crew members for the film will be allowed to return as the British government is granting a number of film and TV productions exemption from following quarantine rules.

Directed by Rob Marshall (Mary Poppins Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), the film will feature music from the 1989 animated classic as well as four brand-new songs. Menken has teased that those songs will consist of new ones for both King Triton (Bardem) and Scuttle (Awkwafina), we also hear Prince Eric will get his own song as well, and that another will feature a duo between both Ariel and Eric.

Kacey Musgraves was recently featured on the soundtrack for Disney’s billion-dollar hit sequel Frozen 2, where she performed her rendition of “All is Found.” She also appeared on the Disney covers We Love Disney, performing the classic Mary Poppins song “A Spoon of Full Sugar.”

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From Geek Vibes Nation:

Rumor: Kacey Musgraves to Play Vanessa in The Little Mermaid

Tia Fabi
July 23, 2020
4:31 pm

Kacey Musgraves is an American songwriter who has won six Grammy awards. Now, she may make her way to the realm of Disney. DisInsider reports that Disney has met with Musgraves (via Zoom) about potentially joining the upcoming The Little Mermaid live-action adaptation. What would Musgraves play?

DisInsider states that they’ve heard it’s the role of Vanessa. Vanessa was the human persona of Ursula. Vanessa ended up creating conflict during the third act of the animated film. This, of course; is a rumor. Musgraves has yet to confirm.

Would you want to see Musgraves as Vanessa in The Little Mermaid?