mermaid princess Ariel: Last News

Zack Sharf Trevor Noah has joined the growing number of celebrities fighting back against racist backlash to Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid,” which stars singer Halle Bailey as the mermaid princess Ariel. Some fans are upset that a Black actor is headlining the new movie, to which Noah responded: “Really, people — we’re doing this again?” Addressing claims that Bailey looks “nothing like” the Ariel in Disney’s 1989 animated movie, Noah said on “The Daily Show” that such an accusation is bogus. “Nothing like? They both have the tail, they both have the red [hair],” the host said. “Once again, a bunch of internet racists are upset that a fictional character is being played by a Black person. This is so ridiculous,” Noah continued. “And honestly, I don’t know what the big deal is. You guys realize that Nemo was Black too, right? Yeah! The whole movie was about a fish that can’t find his dad.”

The Little Mermaid” is making quite the splash at the domestic box office this weekend, with an opening day total of $38 million. The fantasy, which is opening in 4,320 theaters, is expected to gross between $120 million and $130 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend. The musical remake, starring Halle Bailey as the mermaid princess Ariel, took in $10.3 million in previews on Thursday, ranking as the seventh-highest haul for a movie rated G or PG. That puts the film on track to gross well over $100 million over the holiday weekend. With a $250 million production budget, “The Little Mermaid” must bait box office success in order to make a reasonable return.

Today at D23, Disney offered a first look at its live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey and directed by Rob Marshall, which is slated to hit theaters May 26. Watch the teaser above.

Walt Disney Pictures has been pushing forward with heaps of “live-action” remakes of classic films from their extensive film library, and one of the more recent attempts has been a modern spin on the hit 1989 film “The Little Mermaid.” The film wasn’t just popular with kids but made a strong impression on adults as well, as it ended up winning Oscar statues for Score and Best Song. This makes sense why Disney recruited singer Halle Bailey to play the live-action version of the mermaid princess, Ariel, along with hiring veteran director Rob Marshall (“Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides“) to helm the musical after tackling feature adaptations of “Chicago” and “Into The Woods.” We’ve all been curious about the project and finally landed our first look at the live-action remake thanks to the studio’s panel at D23 Expo and the very first teaser trailer.

Wilson Chapman editor Get ready for Halle Bailey to be part of your world. The first footage of the highly anticipated “Little Mermaid” live-action remake has been unveiled at Disney’s D23 expo, revealing the acclaimed R&B star and actor in the iconic role of mermaid princess Ariel. Director Rob Marshall, of “Chicago” fame, celebrated the fact that this was a live action musical. Bringing up his Oscar-winning movie from the past “When we started this journey it was very important to honor the original” but also reimagine and “bring some depth” to the new film Marshall explained. The director also asked “Little Mermaid” longtime Disney alum and Alan Menken to link up with the award-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda to come up with four new songs. “They’d never collaborated together before, and it’s magical…. We still retain the beauty of the original score by the late great Howard Ashman.”