Melissa McCarthy Explains 'The Little Mermaid' Remake's 'Modern' Message (Exclusive)

The star of Disney’s big-budget live action remake of The Little Mermaid, due in theaters on May 26, says seeing a black mermaid on screen when she was younger would have “changed my whole life.”

, is finally coming to the big screen on Friday, May 26. After making a big splash when Disney dropped the first trailer last year, the live-action remake has been one of the most highly anticipated films of 2023.As we get closer to the film's release, tickets to see  are now on sale and people are pouring in to watch this movie in theaters. Be prepared for your breath to be taken away when the movie premieres next week by securing your tickets now.Enjoy the classic story of in Disney's live-action remake.

The soundtrack for The Little Mermaid has been released!

EXCLUSIVE: After a herniated disc during a Cats performance prompted Rob Marshall to switch from dancer to director, his first feature, Chicago, won Best Picture. It has been a charmed run for Marshall since, with hits from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides to Memoirs of a Geisha, Nine, Annie, Into the Woods and Mary Poppins Returns. Rarely has Marshall been as charged up as he is after coming through a four-year ordeal to turn Disney’s 1989 2-D animated classic musical The Little Mermaid into a live action feature. Beyond the logistical complexities of staging a musical set half undersea and the other half on land where the title character sacrifices her voice for a chance at life as a human, the film is the most color blind major studio adaptation of a classic property you’ve ever seen.

NewJeans‘ Danielle has released her version of ‘Part of Your World’ for the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid.The new music video features shots of Danielle, dressed in a sparkly light-blue outfit, performing the Korean-language cover, intercut with shots from the upcoming film. Danielle has also been cast as the voice actor for The Little Mermaid‘s lead character Ariel in the Korean version of the upcoming Disney film.The Little Mermaid is set to be released on May 26 in the United States.

and that's thanks to Halle Bailey.The 23-year-old stars as the titular, headstrong princess in Disney's new live-action reimagining, and her casting has hit home in a big way for little Black girls who are seeing themselves portrayed as the beloved Disney character for the first time onscreen.The film also stars Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, and Javier Bardem as King Triton, with Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian the crab, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Awkwafina as Scuttle.The role feels like a dream come true according to Bailey, whose previous forays into acting include starring alongside her older sister and musical partner, Chlöe Bailey, on Freeform's  series. The singer tells ET that while it «feels absolutely amazing» to join the iconic ranks of the Disney Princesses, being one of the few Black Princesses is on a whole new level.«I just am really grateful to be in this position,» Bailey tells ET's Nischelle Turner, citing Brandy Norwood's Cinderella and Anika Noni Rose's Princess Tiana as her inspirations.«I loved Brandy as Cinderella; she was so amazing, such a role model and inspiration and a really big kind of studying point for me as I was taking on Ariel,» Bailey shares.

Ariel and Prince Eric have reunited!

“The Little Mermaid”The Dolby Theatre, HollywoodUnder the sea and back to Hollywood in a whole new way! At the world premiere of Walt Disney’s live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” a crowd of excited fans helped make the atmosphere electric, cheering on the stars and their friends who walked the blue carpet. Adorned with shimmering seashell decorations and with the sounds of Caribbean music filling the air, the joyful feeling immersed everyone in the world of the film.“The Little Mermaid” herself, Halle Bailey, wowed in a shimmery sea-blue gown that evoked Ariel, while Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Art Malik, Awkwafina and director Rob Marshall gathered for the celebration. TheWrap caught up with Melissa McCarthy (who plays the much-loved musical’s iconic octopus villain Ursula), to discuss the backlash that African-American star Bailey experienced when cast as Ariel, who is white in the animated classic.

“Are you ready for the most sickening singing contest in the universe?” asks host Graham Norton, kicking off a new trailer for the second season of Paramount+ series “Queen of the Universe”.

continues and to give fans a sneak peek at what's to come, Entertainment Tonight is exclusively debuting a first look at an iconic musical number from the live-action reimagining.In ET's clip, Halle Bailey's Ariel recalls her brief foray to the surface world to a disbelieving Sebastian, voiced by Daveed Diggs. While the gushing mermaid waxes poetic about how the ship she saw «rolled on the winds and filled the sky with fire,» the talking crustacean isn't moved.«OK, listen to me.

Part of her world! Halle Bailey was an under-the-sea vision at The Little Mermaid premiere on Monday, May 8.   

Offset and his daughters looked like royalty as they stepped out for a daddy-daughter date night at the Los Angeles premiere of  on Monday. The Migos rapper walked the blue carpet hand-in-hand with Kalea, 8, and Kulture, 5 at the Dolby Theatre, with the trio all sporting coordinating black-and-white ensembles. For his part, Offset channeled Prince Eric with a structured white jacket and black pants.

#TheLittleMermaid: Charming, but incredibly spotty. Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy & Javier Bardem put their heart & souls into a film that can’t escape its animated legacy. Best when it leans into campy bonkers, yet limits its fantasy elements for no reason.

The world premiere of Disney’s The Little Mermaid live-action remake just took place and the first reactions from critics have been revealed.

Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” starring Halle Bailey. With the film’s Los Angeles premiere now concluding, first reactions to the musical have begun to hit social media. Ahead of its May 26 debut in theaters, Disney unveiled footage of “The Little Mermaid” at last month’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas, showing an early glimpse at Melissa McCarthy singing “Poor Unfortunate Souls” as Ursula. Variety also reported that director Rob Marshall and his husband, producer John DeLuca, held a private screening of the film, with a guest list including Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Matt Damon and Ben Platt. The star-studded audience apparently applauded after each musical number and continued to rave during a post-screening reception.

Thanks to the success of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and its spinoffs, drag has hit the mainstream in recent years — and at the same time, is under attack in the U.S., with several Republican-run states having introduced legislation to ban drag while scaling back hard-fought LGBTQIA+ rights.

A large collection of Hollywood stars including Charlize Theron, Melissa McCarthy, and Sarah Silverman have been slated to appear in an upcoming telethon to support LGBTQ groups facing what they see as society’s "demonization of drag culture." The live telethon, titled "Drag Isn’t Dangerous," is a joint Hollywood and LGBTQ event featuring celebrity appearances and performances from drag queens, with the goal of raising money for several major LGBTQ groups. Among the groups looking to benefit are Black Queer Town Hall, GLAAD, Trixie Cosmetics, OUTtv and SERV Vodka.

, is finally coming to the big screen on Friday, May 26. After making a big splash when Disney dropped the first trailer last year, the live-action remake has been one of the most highly anticipated films of 2023.As we get closer to the film's release, tickets to see are now on sale and people are pouring in to see this movie in theaters. Be prepared for your breath to be taken away when the movie premieres by securing your tickets now.Enjoy the classic story of in Disney's live-action remake.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor The excitement and buzz continues to build for “The Little Mermaid.” A source tells me that director Rob Marshall and husband, producer John DeLuca, hosted a private screening of Disney’s live adaptation of the 1989 animated classic on Sunday night at New York’s Whitby Hotel. The guest list of about 80 people included Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, Matt Damon and his family, Emily Mortimer, Ben Platt and his “Parade” co-star Micaela Diamond, Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Bob Balaban and Lynn Grossman, Diane and Brian Sutherland, and Scott Ellis. The film’s composer Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who co-wrote three new songs for the movie, were also there.

Melissa McCarthy opened up about all things Bridesmaids related in a new interview.