Disney's live-action version of The Little Mermaid brings the classic fairy tale to life once again, but will there be a Little Mermaid 2? Based on the 1989 animated hit of the same name, Disney's live-action remake follows a young mermaid named Ariel who strikes a deal with a sea witch in order to live on land. Following in a long line of other live-action adaptations of beloved animated films from the studio, the live-action Little Mermaid remake introduces the story to a new generation of fans and continues to build upon the legacy of the Disney Renaissance of the late '80s and early '90s.
Like other live-action remakes, The Little Mermaid aims to expand upon the original with new technology and a new approach to storytelling that reflects Disney's push for diversity in casting. Early critical responses to the film have been largely positive (via Rotten Tomatoes), and with a major studio like Disney at the helm, the possibility for a sequel is always strong. The Little Mermaid remake is already different from the film that spawned it, and with that door open, The Little Mermaid 2 could take the live-action franchise into an entirely new direction and expand even further upon the source material.
The Little Mermaid 2 Is Not Confirmed (Yet)
Since The Little Mermaid is still fresh, news regarding The Little Mermaid 2 has yet to come, though that isn't a sign that the movie won't eventually be greenlit. The Little Mermaid director Rob Marshall addressed sequel possibilities, and he even stated, "It’s a classic story that has a lot of characters and a lot of interesting stories...I think there’s always opportunity to find stories within stories." Though that answer was vague, it shows that Marshall is still intrigued by The Little Mermaid even after making the 2023 film.
Considering all the live-action Disney remakes in development, a Little Mermaid sequel isn't out of the question, and there have even been a few live-action follow-ups in the past. Years before Disney's current wave of live-action remakes, the 1996 film 101 Dalmatians saw a sequel just a few years later in the form of 2000's 102 Dalmatians. Similarly, Tim Burton's polarizing Alice in Wonderland from 2010 was followed by 2016's Alice Through the Looking Glass. Even a sequel to 2019's box office smash The Lion King is currently in the works from Disney, which is a good sign for a potential Little Mermaid 2 if the first performs well enough.
The Little Mermaid 2 Release Date Info
Pinning down a release date for The Little Mermaid 2 isn't easy, and it will all depend on how well the first film performs both critically and at the box office. Disney has never been a studio to rush out a sequel, and all of their live-action remakes that saw second installments did so years after the release of the original. If The Little Mermaid 2 does eventually materialize, it will be a few years in the future, with the earliest possibility being 2025. Spectacle movies like The Little Mermaid require a lot of work, and Disney never releases an inferior product just to strike while the iron is hot.
The Little Mermaid 2 Cast
The cast of the live-action Little Mermaid remake was one of the first details that drummed up interest in the movie, and for The Little Mermaid 2 to shine, it would need to see many of those actors and characters return. Considering the praise that Halle Bailey received for her turn as Ariel, she will likely be the glue that holds a sequel together. Additionally, Jonah Haur-King would most likely reprise his role as Prince Eric, along with Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Jacob Tremblay as Flounder.
Supporting cast members like Awkwafina as Scuttle are less certain, though the popularity of a side character tends to determine the size of their role in sequels. Javier Bardem would also most likely return in the cast of The Little Mermaid 2 as King Triton, and his star power alone is enough to sell tickets. One question that looms is whether Melissa McCarthy would return as Ursula, the film's villain. Even if she is vanquished in the first film, she could devise an entirely new scheme to get her revenge against Ariel.
The Little Mermaid 2 Story Details
As has been the case with every other Disney live-action remake sequel, the story of The Little Mermaid 2 will most likely be an entirely new idea that isn't based on something else. However, as he mentioned in his interview with Total Film, director Rob Marshall is aware of the straight-to-video sequel to the 1989 version of The Little Mermaid, and he could pull from that film as inspiration. Released in 2000, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea is set 12 years after the events of the first film and follows Ariel and Eric's daughter, Melody, as she longs for the sea despite her parents forbidding it.
Even if The Little Mermaid 2 only lightly calls upon the 2000 movie as inspiration, that sequel could serve as a great backdrop for a new follow-up film. The 1989 Little Mermaid also received a prequel in 2008 called The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning that explored the title character's backstory before the events of the first movie. The Little Mermaid 2 will most likely explore its own ideas, but it could call upon details from the prequel and sequel films that would further tie the live-action movies to their animated counterparts.