Noma Dumezweni, who made waves with her role as Haley Fitzgerald in HBO’s The Undoing, will be heading under the sea for her next endeavor. Deadline reported that Dumezweni will join the cast of Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. There’s currently no word on which character Dumezweni will play, but she will take on a new character who was not in the original animated film.
Dumezweni joins Halle Bailey (of the sister music duo Chloe x Halle), who will play the lead role of Ariel; Javier Bardem, who is set to play King Triton; and Melissa McCarthy, who will step into the role of Ursula. David Magree is writing the screenplay, with Rob Marshall on board to direct. This new adaptation will feature songs from the original animated film, as well as new ones from composer Alan Menken with lyrics by Lin Manuel-Miranda.
There’s currently no further information regarding production start or a projected release date. Stay tuned for more updates as they become available.
