Disney is currently developing a live-action Little Mermaid movie, and it appears that it’s extremely close to casting the role of everyone’s favorite sea witch. According to Variety, Melissa McCarthy is in “early talks†to join the project as Ursula, the tentacled villain who has received plenty of long-overdue credit in recent years for actually (if you think about it) being the film’s true hero. The titular role hasn’t been announced yet, and while it was floating around last year that Zendaya had been cast, she responded to the rumors by saying that at the time it was, in fact, “just a rumor so we’ll see.â€
The new film — which will be directed by Mary Poppins Returns’ Rob Marshall — will include songs from the 1989 animated film as well as new songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda and original Mermaid composer Alan Menken. David Magee (Life of Pi, Mary Poppins Returns) penned the script of the live-action movie, and Miranda, Marshall, Marc Platt, and John DeLuca are all credited as producers.
If for some reason talks with McCarthy fall apart, we know two other extremely qualified candidates who would kill to take her place, by the way.