The latest Disney classic to be given the live-action treatment is THE LITTLE MERMAID. Based on the fairy tale written by Hans Christensen Andersen, the film looks set to be directed by Sofia Coppola.
Joe Wright was once onboard to direct but he has moved onto another classic children’s story with PAN. Coppola is more known for her subversive, existential dramas, so it will be interesting to see how she handles a project intended for a younger audience. One thing is for certain, it will more than likely have a killer soundtrack if previous works like MARIE ANTOINETTE, and THE VIRGIN SUICIDES are anything to go by. The script is being written by Caroline Thompson of EDWARD SCISSORHANDS fame.
The next task for production company Working Title will be to capture it’s mermaid Ariel. The character is currently being embodied by JoAnna Garcia Swisher in ABC’s magical Once Upon A Time, but the studios will most certainly look for someone fresh, which begs the question – who would you cast as Ariel?
THE LITTLE MERMAID joins a long line of fairy tale adaptations with THE JUNGLE BOOK having recently been announced alongside the already-in-production CINDERELLA, PAN, and the soon to be released MALEFICENT (which teased us with another trailer earlier today). It seems that film companies can’t get enough of the fantasy realm these days and hopefully all these films will be blessed with some amazing visual effect artists who will do the texts justice.
Source: Deadline
