Along with every other major upcoming release, Disney halted production on The Little Mermaid when the COVID-19 pandemic forced mass shut-downs the world over. Cameras hadn't actually started rolling (they were reportedly just days away), however, and it looks like the casting process has continued remotely.
According to The Disinsider, Disney has had Zoom meetings six-time Grammy winning country music artist Kacey Musgraves for a supporting role in the live-action adaptation. Apparently, she's being eyed to play Vanessa; the human form the villainous sea witch Ursula takes on in an attempt to trick Ariel.
The source is usually pretty reliable, but they do caution that they were unable to confirm whether these meetings went anywhere, and there is a chance Musgraves could have passed.
If Kacey does sign on to the project, she'll join Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah-Hauer King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Awkwafina as Scuttle.
The Little Mermaid will feature music from the 1989 animated classic as well as four new songs. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who previously worked with director Rob Marshall on Mary Poppins Returns, will also compose original music for Mermaid along with Alan Menken.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.