Melissa McCarthy in talks to play Ursula in Disney’s live-action movie Little Mermaid

After The Lion King and the recently released Aladdin’s live-action remakes, Disney is all set to give the same treatment to The Little Mermaid. According to recent reports, comedian and actress Melissa McCarthy is in early talks to play the villain, Ursula, in Disney’s latest live-action movie. “No deal has been done, but it would be the latest piece in place for the project, part of Disney’s reboots of its animated classics that include the recent Aladdin and the upcoming The Lion King,” reported Deadline. While Ron Clements and John Musker were behind the 1989 original, the latest undersea movie will be helmed by Mary Poppins Returns director Rob Marshall.Moreover, Lin-Manuel Miranda will join the original composer Alan Menken for an updated list of songs from the 1989 hit. David Magee, who has Life of Pi and Mary Poppins Returns to his credit, has penned the script of the live-action movie. The animated movie loosely retold the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen and was about a mermaid named Ariel who yearns to be human after she falls in love with a prince. She makes a deal with the sea witch Ursula who grants her wish but takes her voice. The original sea-witch Ursula was famously voiced by Pat Carroll and modeled after the late drag queen icon Divine. The character also takes on a human appearance in the original film (voiced by Jodi Benson), which makes us wonder whether Melissa McCarthy would play both sides of the role. This will mark one of the first family-friendly roles for McCarthy, who has built her career on adult comedies including Spy, The Heat and Bridesmaids, which earned her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. She was most recently seen in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, a dramatic turn that also earned her an Oscar nomination, this time for best actress.

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