The latest Disney animated classic to get the live-action treatment is The Little Mermaid, and while most details have been kept under wraps, Daveed Diggs has praised the production of the movie, which only makes the project more exciting. Among the many trends that currently dominate the film industry is that of live-action versions of animated movies, especially those from Disney. The Mouse House has been bringing some of its most beloved animated classics to the realm of live-action, and while most haven’t been successful, it still has a list of live-action adaptations coming up in the near future, among those The Little Mermaid.
Back in 1989, Disney brought The Little Mermaid, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker and based on the fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen, but with a lot of changes to make it more family-friendly. It tells the story of Princess Ariel, daughter of King Triton, who dreams of exploring the human world but isn’t allowed to. Ariel soon falls in love with Prince Eric, and in order to be with him, she makes a deal with sea witch Ursula, who turns her into a human in exchange for her voice. The Little Mermaid continues to be a favorite among Disney fans, but many weren’t on board with the idea of a live-action version, more so when Disney decided to go on a more inclusive route with a cast completely different from what was expected, but everything points at it being a visual spectacle that will surprise more than one.
The Little Mermaid is directed by Rob Marshall and stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, with Jacob Tremblay voicing Flounder, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Daveed Diggs as Sebastian. The live-action version will follow the basic premise of the animated classic, but it’s already doing many things differently, as seen in set photos, and even the cast has been hyping the project at any given chance – however, the praise coming from Daveed Diggs is more significant given his background and how it compares to what he has seen while filming The Little Mermaid.
Speaking to Sirius XM, Diggs shared a bit about his experience filming The Little Mermaid, explaining that some of the stuff they did when on the stage “were some of the beautiful, like, craziest filmmaking” he has ever seen, which is a lot coming from an actor who has been part of some truly big projects. Daveed Diggs has taken part in movies like Wonder, Blindspotting, Velvet Buzzsaw, and Soul, as well as the TV shows Black-ish and Snowpiercer, but his most notable work to date was on the stage, in none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, where he played Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson. Hamilton is one of the most successful and beloved musicals in recent years, so having Daveed Diggs saying that The Little Mermaid has some truly impressive work only makes the project more exciting, more so as the movie is also a musical, and he already worked in one of the greatest of all time.
The Little Mermaid is already standing out from the rest of Disney’s live-action movies and avoiding some past problems by having Halle Bailey as the lead, as she’s not only an actress but also a singer, contrary to the leads of other live-action movies, most notably Emma Watson in Beauty and the Beast. Add Daveed Diggs’ talent and experience to the mix and The Little Mermaid is definitely on its way to being one of the Mouse House’s most exciting and promising projects in recent years, and one that can change the image that the audience has of this type of adaptations.