Disney's The Little Mermaid remake will make a key change to Ursula's backstory.
According to Deadline, Ursula will be Ariel's aunt in the upcoming live-action retelling of Disney's hit 1989 animated film, itself based on Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 fairy tale of the same name. Halle Bailey is starring in The Little Mermaid re-imagining as Ariel, with Melissa McCarthy playing Ursula and Javier Bardem portraying Ariel's father King Triton.
In Disney's animated version of The Little Mermaid, Ursula was a sea witch with no familial relation to Ariel and a resident of King Triton's palace prior to being banished and exiled by the king, presumably because he discovered her magical contracts were designed to benefit her while causing misery for other underwater beings. As part of her scheme to exact revenge on Triton and install herself as the ruler of the ocean in his place, Ursula made a deal with Ariel, agreeing to magically transform her into a human for three days in exchange for Ariel's voice.
Loosely inspired by the nameless sea witch from Andersen's source material and modeled after the famous drag queen Divine, Ursula has gone on to become one of the more popular villains in Disney's animated filmography. In addition to appearing in the Disney California Adventure theme park ride The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel's Undersea Adventure, Ursula was featured in Disney's Broadway stage musical adaptation of The Little Mermaid and the ABC TV series Once Upon a Time. She was also briefly included in the Disney Channel sequel Descendants 2, with Whoopi Goldberg voicing the character.
On top of changing Ursula's backstory, The Little Mermaid remake will introduce an as-yet unknown new character played by Noma Dumezweni (The Undoing). Get Even star Jessica Alexander is also playing a role in the film, although it's unclear if her character will be new to the story or someone who was featured in Disney's animated movie (like one of Ariel's sisters). Other cast members include Daveed Diggs as the crab Sebastian, who serves as advisor and court composer to King Triton, in addition to Jacob Tremblay as Ariel's fish pal Flounder and Awkwafina as Scuttle, a well-meaning, if clueless, seagull who provides Ariel with generally inaccurate information about the human world.
Directed by Rob Marshall, The Little Mermaid stars Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Jacob Tremblay, Daveed Diggs, Jonah Hauer-King and Awkwafina. The film has yet to receive a release date.
Source: Deadline