From “Beauty and the Beast” to “Dumbo” to “Winnie the Pooh“, a plethora of Disney animated classics will be turned into live-action movies by Disney itself. Oddly enough, “The Little Mermaid” is not one of them.
If our assumption is correct, that’s probably because Universal Pictures and Working Title are teaming up to develop a live-action adaptation based on the original fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen too.
Chloë Grace Moretz, who began her acting career at the age of 7, is best known for her unconventional role as a hitgirl in “Kick-Ass” and as a vampire in “Let Me In”. Now, according to Variety, the 18-year-old actress has been cast to star as the title character.
The original fairy tale is about a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul. However, it is unclear what the latest adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen story will look like.
Multiple insiders told Variety that Moretz had been the studios’ top choice for the role while director Sofia Coppola was still attached to helm the project. However, Coppola wanted to cast Maya Thurman-Hawke instead. Her unwillingness to agree with the studios on the lead had eventually led ler to leave the director’s chair.
Following Coppola’s exit, the studios still wanted to Moretz for the role as they believe a bigger name can attract more audiences. They only announce the cast until a writer was attached to pen the final script.
No new director is attached to helm the project yet, but Richard Curtis (of “Love, Actually” fame) will write the script. Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title will produce while Liza Chastin and Amelia Granger will serve as executive producers.
Universal isn’t the only studio that is working on a “Little Mermaid” project because Sony is developing a dark retelling of the fairy tale based on Carolyn Turgeon’s “Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale”. Disney has yet to announce plans to remaking its animated “Little Mermaid” feature into a live-action film.
Moretz’s recent filming credits including the Gillian Flynn adaptation “Dark Places” and Olivier Assayas’ “Clouds of Sils Maria”. She will be seen next in “The 5th Wave” and and Universal’s comedy sequel “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising”.
So, do you think Moretz will make a great mermaid? Who else do you think should join cast? Share your thoughts in the comments box below.
Source: Variety.
