What a report / Isn’t it neat / Wouldn’t you think Disney’s collection’s complete / Wouldn’t you think they’re the brand / The brand that has…everything
Apparently not. Or, more likely, they know we want more.
After 92 million first-day views of the new Beauty and the Beast live action teaser, Deadline.com reports that Disney is exploring the possibility of making Ariel part of our world.
It’s far from official (no cast or creatives are currently attached), with many aspects to consider. Perhaps chief among them is what it would take to pull off an authentic underwater environment – with characters swimming, talking, singing and “dancing” – for the amount of screen time that would be required.
Also in the mix: a competing live action Little Mermaid take, produced by Universal, starring Chloë Grace Moretz and written by Richard Curtis (Notting Hill, Love Actually). While that production would likely beat Disney’s to theaters, it seems nothing could hamper the Mouse House’s production other than Disney itself. As a property, Disney’s The Little Mermaid is too beloved to be perceived as an also-ran. Reports also suggest that Universal’s adaptation would hew more closely to the darker tone of Hans Christian Anderson‘s original fable.
- Cruella, with Emma Stone in the title role
- A Wrinkle in Time, with Ava DuVernay (Selma) attached to direct and Jennifer Lee writing
- Dumbo, with director Tim Burton and writer Ehren Kruger
- A sequel to Mary Poppins with director Rob Marshall (Into The Woods), starring Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Maleficent 2, with Angelia Jolie set to return in the title role and Linda Woolverton writing
- Tinker Bell, with Reese Witherspoon developing and set to star
- The Jungle Book 2, with director Jon Favreau returning
