Actress Melissa McCarthy has reportedly been cast as the villain Ursula in Disney's upcoming Little Mermaid live action remake.
McCarthy, 48, is best known for her roles in Bridesmaids and Can You Ever Forgive Me? (both of which landed her Oscar nominations), and according to Variety, she'll be the one to make the dastardly trade for Ariel's voice in an upcoming live-action remake of the 1989 classic.
Famously voiced by Pat Carroll and Jodi Benson in the original movie, the likes of Lady Gaga, Lizzo and Bette Midler have all been tossed around as possible fits, but it appears McCarthy has won this particular race.
Here's hoping she can match up to the 1989 version of this:Disney is still in the midst of preparing its remake of the classic, but there's been plenty of buzz around the film - and especially the cast. We've not heard anything about who will play Ariel, Sebastian, Prince Eric or the rest of the gang, but what we do know is that Disney will be looking to make compelling and contemporary casting choices (similar to casting Will Smith as the Genie in the recent Aladdin remake).
We also know that Rob Marshall - director of Mary Poppins Returns - will direct this film as well. There will be all of the original songs you know and love, but there'll also be some new ones from Lin Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken - who wrote classics like Under the Sea, Part of Your World and Kiss the Girl.
It's the latest in a slew of live-action adaptations of cartoons from Disney - just this year, Aladdin grossed $280 million worldwide and the Lion King is set to make a similar splash. Meanwhile, the likes of Beauty and the Beast, the Jungle Book and Cinderella have all seen decent success as live-action remakes.
